Murphy man, business help Texas

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  • Skyview Energy driver Allen Crisp fills a Frito-Lay employee’s vehicle in Pharr, Texas.
    Skyview Energy driver Allen Crisp fills a Frito-Lay employee’s vehicle in Pharr, Texas.
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A local man is doing his part to help people in Texas affected by the winter weather in the state.

Typically, Skyview Energy in Murphy helps its parent company, PS Energy Group, with emergency fueling services during natural disasters. Local driver Allen Crisp joined a fleet of trucks bringing fuel to Texas. It was his third time participating in the company’s emergency relief efforts, and his first time providing support during a winter storm.

It took him three days to get to his destination of Pharr, Texas, which is on the Mexican border.

Crisp left Murphy at 10 a.m. Feb.17, and had to spend the night in Meridian, Miss., due to Interstate 20 being shut down. He was able to get back on the road the next morning, but there were more road closures along the route, causing the fleet to have to find other ways to get to their destinations.

He had been to Texas a lot, but when he arrived Friday morning it was different.

“It didn’t feel like Texas,” Crisp said. “It was in the 20s.”

He said he met people who have lived in Texas for 30-40 years.

“They didn’t know how to deal with it,” Crisp said.

The Texas Department of Transportation didn’t have salt on the roads, so cars slid off and were stranded.

His role was to provide fuel for Frito-Lay so all employees could have gas for their personal vehicles as well as company vehicles. He said on his way there, he saw many gas stations with bags over the pumps. Once a gas station received gas, they would sell it quickly.

The company’s tank wagons range in capacity from 1,800-4,500 gallons, according to its website. Each transport can be set up to make straight drops or serve as mobile fuel stations.

“It’s a gas station on wheels,” Crisp said.

Even though the snow has melted – temperatures were in the 70s on Monday – there were still a bunch of places out of power, and there was still a boil water advisory. He was keeping bottled water on his truck, and people have been providing him with food and water.

“Everybody’s really nice here,” Crisp said.

He was working in Houston on Monday, then was scheduled to start heading home.

Crisp said while he misses his baby daughter while away to provide support to areas affected by severe weather, he doesn’t hesitate when the company asks him if he wants to go.

“I don’t care a bit to do it,” he said. “I enjoy it.”