Here comes Harvey

August 24, 2017

With a potential hurricane headed Wednesday for the Crossroads, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration and residents scrambled to stock up on supplies.

Local government officials and authorities met throughout the day, monitoring the potential of tropical depression Harvey developing into a hurricane by the time it reached the Texas coast. The forecast called for Harvey to make landfall late Friday somewhere along the Coastal Bend.

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Brace yourself

August 25, 2017

Victoria and three surrounding coastal counties issued mandatory evacuation orders Thursday as Hurricane Harvey rapidly intensified.

Crossroads county and city officials met throughout the day in a race to keep up with the rapidly changing storm. Roads and highways out of the Crossroads filled with cars as residents fled with their families.

“We’ll be hit head-on or the north side, the worst side of the storm,” Port Lavaca Mayor Jack Whitlow said. “This is not a good one to sit out. There will be no water, no electricity during this storm, no police, no medical services. You’ll be on your own if it happens. It’s best to get out of town.”

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'Prayers protect us'

August 26, 2017

PORT LAVACA - Crossroads residents watched helplessly Friday as the worst storm in 56 years roared ashore.

Harvey grew to a Category 4 hurricane at 6 p.m., drawing terrifying comparisons to Carla, which blasted through Port O’Connor on Sept. 11, 1961.

Harvey was expected to cause devastating damage as the storm started stalling after making landfall. Heavy rains could continue through Monday afternoon, dumping 20 to 40 inches.

“What that means is we’re going to be in the middle of the bad side of the storm for roughly 48 hours,” said Deputy Bryan Simons, Victoria County sheriff’s office spokesman.

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REFUGIO - Lamar Rodriguez, 51, huddled with her two young grandchildren in a neighbor’s bathtub in a dark, shuddering home.

“We thought we were going to die,” Rodriguez said, almost overcome with emotion Saturday afternoon as she stood in the midst of her ruined neighborhood.

Powerful winds and deluges of floodwater mangled the family’s aging home and sowed terror in the hearts of Rodriguez and the neighbors who sheltered there. By Saturday, the storm had left the city - and most of the rest of the Crossroads - without power and water. In more rural areas, including Refugio, phone service was even gone.

The intensity of Hurricane Harvey stunned many in the Crossroads who had not seen a Category 4 storm since Carla 56 years ago.

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'At least God let us live'

AUGUST 28, 2017

Heather Meadows said she feels as if she is living in a nightmare.

“Is this all a dream?” said Meadows, 22, who has lived in Tivoli for a year and a half. “Can we just all wake up now?”

Meadows is one of thousands of Crossroads residents who have been left to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Harvey destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses when it made landfall as a Category 4 storm Friday night. From the coastal city of Rockport to Victoria, hundreds of thousands were without running water or electricity. Others have lost their homes entirely.

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‘It’s the luck of the draw'

AUGUST 29, 2017

Even before Hurricane Harvey arrived, this year’s shrimp and oyster season was on track to be one of the worst for Seadrift oysterers and shrimpers.

“I don’t know what we can do,” said Seadrift resident Edward Torres, who has supported his family by catching shrimp and oysters out of Seadrift for the past 22 years. “For the fishermen, it’s not good.”

As Harvey continued its departure Monday from the Crossroads, water-logged cities and towns assessed damage and began caring for their residents.

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‘Everybody will pull together'

August 30, 2017

TIVOLI - It wasn’t until three days after Hurricane Harvey struck Texas that Delia Garza, 56, finally scrubbed off her Social Security number written in pen on her arm.

“I had my social on one leg and one arm,” said Garza, who lives in Tivoli. “They were going to identify me one way or another.”

As the storm destroyed her trailer Friday night, she took shelter in her father’s home across the street, where she and her sister prayed with rosary beads in a bathroom, just steps away from the room they shared as little girls.

“To tell you the truth, I have never seen my town under this much destruction - I never have,” she added. “With all this destruction, I’m hoping that everybody does get together to get Tivoli back.”

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30.9 feet and rising

August 31, 2017

Wading back to his waiting wife, Alex Gonzalez, 34, had happy news about their family home.

“Everything is good. We are dry,” said Gonzalez, a homeowner in Greens Addition, a west Victoria neighborhood where Guadalupe River water swept through Wednesday. Throughout much of Greens Addition, the river slipped its banks, filling homes with muddy floodwater carried south from distant rains. That water closed roadways, forcing some Victoria families from their homes and stranding others.

Returning from his expedition into the flooded neighborhood with a bucket of essentials taken from the home, Gonzalez wondered aloud how long the family’s luck with the water would last.

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Animals’ angels

September 1, 2017

Amid the scenes of human loss from Hurricane Harvey, volunteers raced Thursday to save zoo animals in Victoria.

Thursday’s effort followed a heroic week by four Texas Zoo workers who rode out Hurricane Harvey with the animals and then stayed as the Guadalupe River flooded the structure in Riverside Park.

Almost all of the animals survived, said zoo board president Jimmy Zaplac, who spent Thursday with rescue workers wading through floodwaters and ferrying crated animals to dry land.

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The long road ahead

September 2, 2017

REFUGIO - The new furniture delivered to Refugio ISD on Aug. 24 was going to put the finishing touches on a renovated school.

However, Hurricane Harvey changed all of that the next day. Most of the furniture, in addition to the buildings, are damaged or detroyed.

“It was overwhelming at first,” Superintendent Melissa Gonzales said Friday.

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Residents rely on families to rebuild

September 3, 2017

BAYSIDE - Sabine Wiegand, 54, spent Saturday afternoon clearing her belongings from her closet and loading them into a moving van.

It was in that closet - just a week earlier - where she hid with her 76-year-old mother and their cat as Hurricane Harvey ripped the roof off their Bayside home. They lived less than a 30-minute drive from where the storm made landfall with 130 mph winds in Rockport.

“I was praying to God all night - ‘Please God, please God,’” she said. “I really thought we were going to die - that house was going to crash in on us.”

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For some, normal still far away

September 4, 2017

For Susie Starkey, helping her employee clean and clear her flood-damaged Victoria home Sunday was never optional.

“You just have to do it,” Starkey, 57, said, holding the hose of an industrial vacuum inside a Greens Addition home rented by her employee, Helena Hamilton, 53.

More than a week after Hurricane Harvey ravaged Victoria, some residents are still working to return to normal life. Although the hurricane and ensuing flooding left most houses still standing in the neighborhood, many remain unlivable with mud, water, burgeoning mold and thriving mosquitos inside.

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Church offers refuge for devastated town

September 5, 2017

REFUGIO - When Hurricane Harvey’s darkness covered Refugio on the night of Aug. 25, Joy Ministries became a beacon of light.

“We were a light, help and assistance to people who reached out,” Peter Vega, church minister, said Monday. “We put our gloves on and went to work.”

Church ministers sheltered 40 hurricane evacuees for about three days starting Saturday despite not having electricity or running water.

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Victims find hardship, opportunity

September 6, 2017

SEADRIFT - Mary Ann Guerrero, 45, watched the inspector enter her mold-choked home Tuesday afternoon and wondered what she would do if the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied her family’s request for assistance.

“I have no idea,” Guerrero said. “That’s the scariest thing.”

Like many Crossroads residents who returned to find their homes damaged and destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, Guerrero and her family face limited options in getting back on their feet. With her workplace still without power and savings rapidly diminishing, Guerrero, the sole bread-winner in the family, said she was placing all of her hopes with FEMA.

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FEMA frustrates Harvey victims

September 7, 2017

If Richard Quinonez hopes to reunite with his wife and three daughters again, he needs help.

“People don’t have money like they think they do. People don’t have family like they think they do.” Quinonez, 41, said. “I lost everything.”

Quinonez is one of thousands in the Crossroads who are applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance in the aftermath of the hurricane. Many say the compensation offered so far by FEMA falls far short of the need.

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Dire straits

September 8, 2017

Cindy Barrientes donated her last $5 to Hurricane Harvey at a checkout lane Wednesday night.

This turned out to be good karma because a few hours later she learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would help her financially.

“I just don’t know how to use it,” Barrientes said. “I’m not sure when or how it will come in.”

FEMA deemed her apartment unfit for habitation.

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Disaster for humans means catastrophe for pets

September 9, 2017

At Victoria Animal Control, a black-and-white pit bull rescued from a flooded Victoria neighborhood got food, love and an aptly chosen name.

“We named him Harvey,” said Victoria animal activist Toya Stone, unofficial liaison for the Texas rescue group Wags, Hope and Healing, while cradling the dog she helped save.

Although two weeks have passed since Hurricane Harvey carved a swath of destruction through the Crossroads, residents still are struggling to get back on their own two - or four - feet.

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Doing their part

September 10, 2017

SPANISH CAMP - A Victoria couple who traveled to Fort Bend and Wharton counties to rescue flooded residents said they were just owning up to their heritage.

“We kept saying, ‘This is just what Texas does,’” said Alison Jecker, 32.

Days after Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, Jecker, boyfriend Mark Robinson, 34, and about a dozen other Crossroads residents along with their boats staged do-it-yourself rescue operations in the sunken city of Richmond and then Missouri City. Two days later, Becker and Robinson found themselves in Wharton County where they rescued abandoned dogs and other animals from almost certain death.

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Nature interrupted: Storm has far-reaching environmental impact

September 10, 2017

Environmentalists are comparing Hurricane Harvey with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill from 2010.

They worry that with the governor suspending some environmental rules, the Category 4 hurricane’s effects won’t be fully understood until long after the spotlight is pointed elsewhere.

“With the BP oil spill, we’re still learning things like how dolphins and other marine life fared,” said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas.

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'It was like we had been bombed'

September 11, 2017

ROCKPORT - El and Bill Gibbens didn’t expect Hurricane Harvey would obliterate their three-story, 3,200-square-foot vacation home on Holiday Island in Rockport.

“It was like we had been bombed,” said El Gibbens, 51. “If you could imagine, all the debris that is pilled up on the roads was everywhere.”

The couple had gone to Nashville, Tenn., for a wedding and didn’t have much time to ready their Rockport and Victoria homes for the storm. They made it back to their Rockport home four days after the hurricane and were shocked at the ruins.

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A lot on young minds

September 12, 2017

Although Chloe Reynolds was safe and dry Monday at Shields Elementary School, her mind was wading through Houston’s floodwaters, hoping her father was OK.

“My dad lives in Houston,” Chloe, 10, said on the first day back at school. “I’ve cried so much watching the news and seeing Houston.”

Victoria school district welcomed students back Monday for the first time since Hurricane Harvey passed through the Crossroads.

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Under their wing

September 13, 2017

ROCKPORT - When they removed the interior walls of their office Tuesday, the International Crane Foundation’s employees found more than they could have hoped for among the rubble.

“We went from 1,000 square feet to 100, but it’s all good stuff,” said Liz Smith, senior whooping crane scientist.

She surveyed their findings laid out on a blue tarp. The game cameras and tripods would be useful, as would the waterproof notebooks that had lived up to their name.

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Harvesting hope

September 14, 2017

Cindy Gayle let out a heartfelt cry after learning seven of her horses were under her collapsed barn that was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.

“It was like someone crumpled a paper napkin,” the 63-year-old Goliad woman said. “When the tin collapsed, it was like a knife hitting the horses. It hurt seeing the horses like that.”

The Goliad Fire Department helped free the horses from the collapsed structure. Six of the seven horses suffered injuries, with cuts from 12 to 16 inches long.

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Lost at sea

September 15, 2017

PORT LAVACA - Six years of Jerry Burklund’s memories are halfway sunk into the bay at Nautical Landing marina.

“That boat had a lot of stories attached to it,” Burklund said Wednesday as he looked down at his Carver Montego boat sticking out of the brown pier water.

Burklund, 75, had spent several years traveling through the Florida Keys on the boat, he said.

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Still not normal

September 16, 2017

REFUGIO - Lucas Garcia has not been able to eat more than crackers and water for the past couple of weeks.

“My stomach has just been tied up in knots,” Garcia, 62, said, clutching his stomach outside his home on Commerce Street.

His lack of appetite made him turn down a delicious chalupa plate his wife, Rosario, brought him to eat the other day.

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Left high and dry

September 17, 2017

When Darlene Moya, 38, returned from Austin with her three children after fleeing Hurricane Harvey, she found herself locked out of her Victoria rental home.

The single mom said she knew this might happen when she decided what most mothers would: Instead of spending $170 on rent, which is due weekly, she used the last couple hundred dollars to her name to evacuate her daughters - who are 2, 3 and 15 years old. The family sought shelter with relatives in Austin, out of Hurricane Harvey’s deadly path.

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Lost in the shadows

September 18, 2017

Alexa’s hope of living a normal life in the United States with her 11-year-old daughter came crashing down with the tree that landed on her home during Hurricane Harvey.

Just two years ago, the mother and daughter moved from Mexico to Bloomington, a rural community of about 2,500 residents.

Alexa bought a trailer, her daughter started school and the two started settling into their new life in the U.S., she said.

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Unsteady start

September 19, 2017

REFUGIO - For Michael Moore, sitting in a makeshift Refugio school office in the gym’s foyer without air conditioning felt more normal than the past three weeks.

“This is not what any of us planned,” Michael, 18, said Monday. “We are still a family, we are all strong and we will be all right.”

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Back among friends

September 20, 2017

BLOOMINGTON- Playing on the Placedo Elementary School monkey bars and sitting in the breeze with friends was the best part of starting school for Francisco Garcia.

“For Hurricane Harvey, I went to McAllen because we have family there,” Francisco, 6, said. “I didn’t have any friends to play with.”

The first-grader was among many Bloomington school district students beginning the school year Tuesday after Hurricane Harvey pushed its start date from Aug. 28.

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Beyond spiritual healing

September 21, 2017

Once the power was restored at First United Methodist Church, the congregation and its network of churches set out to heal the community.

Even before Hurricane Harvey, the downtown church offered free prescription assistance, mental health counseling and aid to the most impoverished.

Now the church is expanding its reach by planning a medical clinic with DeTar Healthcare System.

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Rebuilding for the birds

Septemer 22, 2017

AUSTWELL - When Hurricane Harvey made landfall last month, a game camera at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge snapped pictures about 5 miles from the eye of the storm.

The camera, facing a pond on the southern end of Blackjack Peninsula, monitors whooping cranes in the winter.

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Pulling through

September 23, 2017

Dr. Fred Lykes looks around at what used to be his dermatology practice waiting room for the past 38 years.

The stench of mold permeates the almost completely cleared-out building.

The holes in the roof caused by Hurricane Harvey’s powerful winds brought water into his office and destroyed everything.

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No place to go

September 24, 2017

Refugio grandmother Lamar Rodriguez, 51, didn’t understand why she and her neighbors were not allowed into the storm-resistant dome in Woodsboro.

“Why are the citizens not getting proper help?” she asked.

Rodriguez would have made the about 15-minute drive to the dome to escape Hurricane Harvey’s wrath during landfall, she said. But with limited finances and few family members able to help, she instead weathered the storm in a neighbor’s home, where she spent the night trying to keep her two grandchildren calm. That proved a difficult task, she said, when powerful winds and heavy rains began to disintegrate the home as she and others sheltered inside.

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Seadrift couple forced out of home

September 25, 2017

SEADRIFT - Laura Hernandez-Biery sat on the passenger seat with her eyes closed.

Her husband, David Biery, drove into their rented home’s driveway after evacuating to Waco to avoid Hurricane Harvey.

As she opened her eyes, she was grateful to see the house was still standing and that it had sustained minor damage.

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Dome-schooled

September 26, 2017

BLOOMINGTON - Second-grader Mia Poncio moved her blue, multicolored arm cast left and her school materials right, then left and back again.

After three more moves, she found the perfect position to glue her worksheet into her composition book.

“It’s hard to move the cast,” Mia, 7, said, squirming between the bleachers. “It’s not bad.”

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About 12 of the 39 school districts served by the Region 3 Education Service Center sustained damage from Hurricane Harvey, said Charlotte Baker, executive director.

“We are the voice of the region,” Baker said. “They listened to the Region 3 story.”

The center scheduled a gathering titled “After the Storm: Critical Issues Facing Schools after Hurricane Harvey” on Thursday between school districts and Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

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VISD students observe See You at the Pole

September 28, 2017

Derek Roach bowed his head, clutched the neck of his guitar with his left hand, closed his eyes and felt his troubles fly away.

“Our family has been going through a lot of struggles,” Roach, 16, said. “It’s everything. Our house has almost been disheveled.”

Family matters before and after Hurricane Harvey led the sophomore to find his place around the Victoria East High School flagpole Wednesday morning among more than 30 participants.

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Expectant family struggles after Harvey

September 29, 2017

BLOOMINGTON - Lacey Baladez, 24, thought she was going to have a smooth pregnancy - until Hurricane Harvey destroyed her Bloomington home just weeks before her due date.

Water soaked the mobile home and, with it, all of Baladez’s new baby items. Within days, the home was overgrown with mold.

Now, Baladez, her husband and their 5-year-old daughter must start over - all just weeks before Baladez is expected to give birth.

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Woodsboro pulls together after Harvey

September 30, 2017

WOODSBORO - The only items that remain undestroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Olia Anderson’s house are photos.

“I’ve lost just about everything except pictures of my parents, my children and grandkids. My family,” Anderson, 69, said. “Most of my pictures survived, thank God.”

Anderson is one Woodsboro resident who decided to evacuate to avoid the Category 4 hurricane churning in the Gulf. She went to Round Rock to stay with her son and has been there for a month.

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A lot to be done

October 1, 2017

Samantha Torres, 23, has been living in a Cuero hotel room for more than two weeks.

The room’s tiny fridge is big enough to fit her 2-year-old’s milk and juice.

She and her girlfriend lost almost everything when 16 inches of floodwater filled their rental home in the Greens Addition.

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Hurricane Harvey could cost the city at least $6 million in cleanup and repairs.

Tuesday, the City Council is scheduled to discuss earmarking $6 million to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which destroyed homes, snapped trees and flooded parts of the city. That money will cover repairs and cleanup ranging from broken traffic signals to clearing downed trees from Riverside Park, said city spokesman O.C. Garza.

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The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $509 million in federal disaster loans for Texas businesses and residents affected by Hurricane Harvey.

The SBA has approved 446 loans for $42,110,500 for businesses and 5,566 loans for $467,661,300 for residents to help rebuild and recover from this massive storm, according to a news release.

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Hunger greater in Crossroads post-Harvey

October 3, 2017

This time of year is always pretty busy for the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, especially with September designated Hunger Action Month.

But Hurricane Harvey hitting the Crossroads means the local food bank is working harder than ever.

“We’re in a new normal,” said Executive Director Robin Cadle. “What we do on a normal basis is magnified right now.”

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Victoria’s nonprofit leaders are begging city leaders to help hundreds of residents struggling to find places to live after Hurricane Harvey destroyed their homes.

“We don’t want homeless people as a result of Hurricane Harvey if there’s something we can do instead,” Ginny Stafford, who runs Mid-Coast Family Services, told the City Council on Tuesday.

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‘Harvey broke me'

October 5, 2017

Megan Driver is trying to get back her life after Harvey destroyed her Bloomington home.

“It was the whole roof. You can look through my roof, and it’s like a sunroof; you can see straight to the sky,” the 25-year-old said. “The rain ruined everything. And when we went back to the house, the mold started coming in.”

She had lived at the house for three years with her mother and boyfriend, who is a Port Lavaca police officer. The missing roof caused damage to the living room, kitchen, the cat room, the laundry room and her garage.

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Storm-born

October 6, 2017

Jennifer Campos gave birth to Kash Teegan Campos at 4:53 p.m. at Citizens Medical Center about five hours before Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Coast.

Kash was a sign of hope in the middle of devastation for the Crossroads, Campos said.

“I’ve never been so sad and so happy at the same time,” said the 37-year-old secretary office manager. “I probably would have been a wreck if I had not had her ... Having her and having my family really kept me from stressing and freaking out about the whole thing.”

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Mother recalls 'scary' birth during Harvey

October 7, 2017

Yorktown resident Alison Salas thought she was going to give birth to her first baby in a closet in her home the night of Aug. 25 - the evening Hurricane Harvey was forecast to make landfall.

“It was very scary,” Salas, 31, said.

Though her due date wasn’t for another week, Salas was already having contractions.

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Nothing's sure

October 8, 2017

Aubrey De La Garza, 3, whimpered as she plucked a purple toy alligator from what was left of her mother’s bedroom.

The toddler’s life was turned upside down when Hurricane Harvey sent a tree crashing onto her family’s three-bedroom trailer in Bloomington. The family is living in a hotel paid for by the federal government and is still struggling to cope with the reality of losing the home.

“It’s hard because you look at your kids and you don’t have a home for them,” said the little girl’s mother, Erica Andrade, as she tried to hold back tears while her daughter picked through belongings.

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Still no shelter

October 9, 2017

Neither federal, state nor local officials know exactly how or when Victoria’s Hurricane Harvey victims could see housing relief despite the state recently announcing new recovery programs.

More than a month after Hurricane Harvey ripped apart roofs and soaked hundreds of homes in Victoria, there’s still nowhere for people to seek shelter or temporary housing in the county.

This comes just two weeks after federal and state governmental agencies announced new programs to help people who lost homes, which include paying for more permanent home repairs and offering trailers as temporary housing.

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Still wagging

October 10, 2017

As with many home and business owners in the Crossroads, Hurricane Harvey stole more than a month out of Martin and Cindy Kroesche’s lives.

Despite both of their Victoria businesses sustaining damage from Harvey as well as their second home in Rockport, the San Antonio couple opened their business, Local Pet, on Wednesday. The business is the only family-owned pet store in Victoria.

“The reaction is overwhelmingly positive - friendly people coming in here,” said Martin Kroesche. “We’re glad we crossed the finish line and excited to be part of the Victoria community.”

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Glimpse of hope

October 11, 2017

MCFADDIN - Seeing the 101-year-old historic McFaddin church leaning sideways and inches from collapsing broke Mitchell Morrissey’s heart.

With the help of Clegg Services and Galveston-based McMillan Building Movers, the McFaddin Ranch family is ensuring the church will survive.

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Hurricane, flood forces Jaguars to make adjustments

October 12, 2017

The good news for the UHV baseball team is fall ball will begin Monday on schedule.

The bad news is the next few months will be a logistical nightmare.

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Texas Zoo thanks Vickers students for donation

October 13, 2017

Vickers Elementary School second-grader Elijah Posey opened his blue eyes wide while his mouth curled into a smile as he brushed two fingers along the soft shell of Pecos Bill, a Texas tortoise.

“I want a tortoise as a pet,” Elijah, 8, said. “Kids should help because it’s a nice thing to do.”

The Texas Zoo officials brought prairie dogs, a skunk, an opossum and a tortoise to the school Thursday to thank students and staff for raising $2,800 during their two-week coin drive.

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Seadrift women helping people affected by hurricane

October 14, 2017

SEADRIFT - At the corner of West Oakland Avenue and 9th Street, a group of women who each experienced some level of loss during Harvey, is helping people find the help they need.

As people drive by, they see boxes full of food, personal hygiene supplies and food under tents in front of an old business.

“There’s a lot of people who think we are having a garage sale, but everything is free,” said the property owner, Sylvia Rodriguez, 46, of Seadrift.

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Mold creates big problem for homeowners

October 15, 2017

CUERO - When Lisa Aries, 52, returned to her flooded home and opened her front door, she immediately knew she was in trouble.

“You could smell it,” she said.

After making it through Hurricane Harvey, Aries is one of hundreds of Crossroads homeowners who returned home to find a dangerous surprise - mold.

For weeks, the noxious fungus has kept her from her home, forcing her to rely on hotels and the kindness of family members for shelter.

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Residents’ problems navigating Federal Emergency Management Agency aid programs are in the spotlight after Hurricane Harvey.

But public agencies like cities and schools have to deal with the red tape, too.

After Hurricane Harvey sent trees crashing onto power lines and damaged public buildings, local governments are scrambling to collect receipts and fill out paperwork so FEMA will help cover millions of dollars in damages. If Victoria’s school district and local governments don’t meticulously follow FEMA’s rules, they could receive significantly less help than expected.

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Special delivery

October 17, 2017

Sabrina Escalona’s family and friends joked she would go into labor early.

“I don’t believe in all that, but I feel like they jinxed me,” she said, holding her 7-week-old healthy baby boy.

Sage Raz came into this world when he was good and ready, which happened to be in the middle of Hurricane Harvey.

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Texas Gulf Coast mayors discuss Harvey aftermath

October 18, 2017

For Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan, cash from the federal government can’t come soon enough.

About 75 to 85 percent of the beach town’s 4,000 residents were displaced when Hurricane Harvey blew apart homes and businesses, Bujan said. Among families who lost homes were a grandfather, his paralyzed daughter and two grandchildren - who were forced to live in a car right after the storm, he said.

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Like many other families, Kristi Perez, 31, left most of her belongings behind in her apartment when she fled Hurricane Harvey’s deadly path.

After the city issued a mandatory evacuation, the mother went with her wife and their two children to a shelter in Victoria, where they were eventually moved to Austin, she said. Several days later, the family returned to Victoria in hopes their home and belongings would still be intact.

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For the past 26 years, Affectionate Arms Adult Day Health Care Center has relied on its September fundraiser as a way to keep the nonprofit going.

Asking people to donate immediately after Hurricane Harvey didn’t feel right, said Executive Director Mary Garcia.

“We felt we shouldn’t have it because we considered a lot of people are displaced,” she said.

One of her clients, Paublina Martinez, 73, is living in a hotel with her family.

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Victoria school district officials are taking the necessary steps to create a safety net after Hurricane Harvey.

Board members at their regular meeting Thursday approved a reimbursement resolution that allows the district to recover expenses from hurricane damage directly from the bond issue.

Officials heard a presentation from Tom Sage, a member of the bond legal counsel.

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No clue what to do

October 22, 2017

In the days after Hurricane Harvey, Danny Garcia used his Victoria County credit card to buy about $800 worth of mosquito repellant.

The county commissioner said, “I thought, ‘If they put me in jail for this, I don’t care.’”

Garcia had asked officials at the city and county emergency operations center about bug repellant and other dire needs for residents struggling in Precinct 1 but wasn’t getting any answers.

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Popular restaurant battles back from Harvey

October 23, 2017

Lee Caballero and his mother-in-law, Minerva Bennet, gathered about $60,000 together from their savings and a loan to pay their employees while Vera Cruz remained closed.

The restaurant at 3110 N. Navarro St. will open in about two or three weeks after repairs are done. Hurricane Harvey substantially damaged the restaurant by lifting the roof and placing it halfway down the building, shattering a wall and windows and ruining about $15,000 of equipment inside.

“It just shocked me when I saw this,” Caballero said. “My first thought was how quickly we could clean it up and get back in business because I was worried about my employees’ wages.”

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Organization issues warning about Harvey fund scam

October 24, 2017

United Ways of Texas learned Monday an individual was asking for banking information from people in order for them to access Harvey funds through its organization.

But no such relief or recovery fund exists.

The organization is not providing direct assistance to any individuals impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

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After hurricane, residents, nonprofits scramble for housing solutions

October 25, 2017

Laurie Avila, 43, said she never expected to be living in a tent in her front yard.

The Guadalupe River swelled in the days after Hurricane Harvey, flooding the mother of two’s aging home in Greens Addition and filling it with mold. To save her family from the health risks of mold exposure, Avila made a new home by pitching a tent in her front yard.

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After Hurricane Harvey struck, Lesa Charbula got a water bill higher than ever before - more than $900.

Charbula, who runs the Victoria Ag & Ranch Center, said she usually pays $49 each month at the store, which is right next to the Guadalupe River. But Hurricane Harvey sent a nearby tree crashing to the ground, which busted her waterline.

But she didn’t know about the leak until days later when flood waters receded and she could return to the store. But by that time, it was too late.

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Men's shelter, soup kitchen closed because of Harvey

October 27, 2017

A sign posted on the doors of the Salvation Army warns of its closure.

Maj. Laura Martin said the past few weeks have been heart-wrenching as the nonprofit works to recover from Hurricane Harvey.

“Every program I have is closed, and I cannot serve the public,” she said this week. “It hurts my heart. I do not like to turn people away.”

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Crossroads counties will get a piece of the $37 million J.J. Watt raised for Hurricane Harvey relief.

Feeding America, one of the four charities chosen, plans to give its $7.5 million grant to four food banks in its network.

Food Bank of the Golden Crescent in Victoria is likely to receive just under $1 million, Chief Executive Officer Robin Cadle said Friday.

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Recovery group seeks members, community leaders

October 29, 2017

The Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group is seeking volunteers to serve on committees.

Retired construction workers, school counselors, party planners and accountants are needed to help the community move toward recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

The long-term recovery group set bylaws, approved officers and discussed plans at its meeting Friday.

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Habitat volunteers help Harvey victims rebuild

October 30, 2017

The Habitat for Humanity volunteers who gathered by the nonprofit’s parking lot had no shortage of work to do, although the same could not be said about their resources.

“We are just going to work until the money runs out, and then we are going to trust the Lord to provide some more,” said Cynthia Staley, executive director of the Golden Crescent Habitat chapter.

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Victoria County officials are gearing up to give Texas lawmakers feedback on how state agencies helped local officials deal with Hurricane Harvey.

Monday, Derrick Neal, the director of the county’s health department, told county commissioners he’s planning to travel to Austin to tell lawmakers how to improve state efforts during and after a hurricane. The Senate’s Health Committee will conduct meetings this week and next that will focus on public health issues.

“This is really to communicate the state’s response to Harvey,” Neal said.

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Oyster season opens after Harvey; new rules adopted

November 1, 2017

Some wildlife officials hope Hurricane Harvey’s downpours across Southeast Texas will only clear the plate for the struggling oyster industry instead of starving it.

Oysters filter saltwater for food.

If they get an influx of freshwater - such as the torrential rains from Hurricane Harvey - oysters stop that filtering and die in about a week.

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More than two months have passed since Hurricane Harvey, the worst storm to hit the Crossroads in decades, and lawmakers and local leaders still have questions about recovery and rebuilding efforts.

The Texas Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations conducted a hearing Wednesday about the Hurricane Harvey response at the Leo J. Welder Center. The committee focuses on improving how federal, state and local governments work together to better serve the public.

State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said she has surveyed areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey and said the rebuilding effort will take money, coordination and effort from all agencies.

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After a delay in the beginning of the Victoria Symphony’s Masters Series, the program will begin Saturday.

Alexandra Switala will be featured in the night of “The Romantic Masters.”

The program begins 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Victoria Fine Arts Center.

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Harvey recovery group works to measure unmet needs

November 4, 2017

Victoria leaders are still seeking clarity on how many families are significantly affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Mayor Paul Polasek attended the Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group meeting Friday morning, acknowledged the group’s work and pledged to help in future recovery efforts.

He said he still cannot confirm the numbers of affected households that have been given to the media by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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The city of Victoria is looking at ways to keep its water system from failing during the next hurricane.

Although city staffers initially said it wasn’t feasible, they now recommend generators be placed at the raw water pump station, the surface water treatment plant and one distribution pump station.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Public Works Director Donald Reese said. “As a matter of fact, we applied for a grant several years ago for a permanent generator to be placed at the distribution pump station, and it was denied by FEMA.”

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County officials: Mobile homes need more oversight

November 6, 2017

Roxann Donaghe, 60, has no idea when - or if - she’ll get money to repair her manufactured home that was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey.

The hurricane sent a tree crashing into the home, ripping holes in the ceiling and allowing water to seep onto the walls and her belongings. For the past two months, she’s been living with three of her cats in a motel paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency while hoping the agency will give her cash for repairs.

“It’s a mess - it really is,” Donaghe said. “I’m not the only person that is having trouble getting anything done. There are so many people.”

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Recipient of state honor persists despite Harvey setbacks

November 7, 2017

REFUGIO - Selina Hemphill put a neon orange whistle to her lips, took a deep breathe and blew to signal the start to a game of disc golf.

“This is our gym right now,” Hemphill, 53, said, gesturing to the field behind the school. “Every day, it’s something different because of the hurricane.”

Red umbrellas and orange, pink and yellow flying discs soared against Friday’s cloudy but clear skies.

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In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, remarkable stories of resilience have emerged. Among them is the energy sector’s efforts to prepare for and recover from this historic storm. More impressive are the individual oil and natural gas employees who met Harvey’s might with grit and tenacity to put their neighbors’ needs before their own.

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Overcoming sales tax shortfalls and hardening Victoria’s infrastructure after Hurricane Harvey are top priorities for Victoria’s government leaders.

More than 100 government officials, business leaders and residents flocked to the Victoria College Emerging Technology Complex on Wednesday for a special event focused on the state of the city and the county.

During the luncheon, Mayor Paul Polasek and County Judge Ben Zeller spoke about 2017’s successes and challenges for government officials, which ranged from falling sales tax revenue to dealing with millions of dollars in hurricane damage.

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Salvation Army traditional holiday meal to continue

November 10, 2017

Hurricane Harvey threatens some of the community’s annual traditions, but the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving Day meal will not be one of them.

Maj. Laura Martin announced this week that although the building is still undergoing significant renovations, the nonprofit has found a way to host its free holiday meal.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, at 4102 N. Ben Jordan St., has offered the use of its facility.

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Documents show the city of Victoria’s water did not have bacteria despite an outage caused by Hurricane Harvey and a subsequent boil water notice.

The city reported the outage as well as the boil water notice on its Facebook page Aug. 26.

City officials said the boil water notice was issued because of a loss of pressure to the system.

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Leaders still don't have Harvey recovery details

November 12, 2017

More than 11 weeks after Hurricane Harvey, some officials in communities battered by the storm say they still don’t know who will get help or when from federal and state agencies in charge of rebuilding lives and homes.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn’t provided data showing exactly which homes were damaged, according to officials who oversee regions from Victoria to Corpus Christi.

Meanwhile, the Texas General Land Office - the state agency in charge of rolling out some of FEMA’s recovery programs - hasn’t finalized agreements with local government agencies tasked with helping their residents recover.

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Devereux officials remain hopeful despite hurricane damage

November 13, 2017

Facing more than half a million dollars in damages, Devereux campus administrator Richard Perkins said the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey was not his biggest concern.

“We are mainly focused on the well-being of the clients to get them back into the normalcy of the program,” he said.

After being evacuated for 15 days after the storm, more than 300 clients and staff from Devereux Advanced Medical Health Texas returned to their damaged center in Victoria with their heads high.

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Bloomington students, district still feel impact of Harvey

November 14, 2017

BLOOMINGTON - As winter sets in, Brittany Rivera is trying to create a warm place for her Bloomington High School color guard team.

“The small band hall had six classes put in there, which meant band had to practice outside,” said Rivera, volunteer color guard director. “If it rained, that meant short practice for them.”

Rivera set up a GoFundMe page Oct. 20 to raise funds for upgrades to the school’s band hall, including cubby areas and storage for band and color guard members’ equipment.

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Officials consider waiving school accountability ratings

November 15, 2017

Almost every classroom in the Refugio school district was damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

“There was no building in our district that escaped some kind of damage,” said Superintendent Melissa Gonzales. “I believe every member of our staff and students has been affected in some way by Hurricane Harvey, many to a large degree.”

Buildings are only one aspect of what districts are dealing with, she said.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s mobile disaster relief center in Cuero will close permanently Wednesday, Nov. 22, DeWitt County Emergency Management Coordinator Cyndi Smith said.

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Zoo to spread its wings again

November 17, 2017

Leftover rain dripped down the mesh cover in the aviary exhibit at The Texas Zoo as Zazu, a green-winged macaw, looked around at his new roommates. The bright-red feathers on his head and body fluffed slightly, shaking off the remnants of Thursday’s afternoon rain shower.

“Can you wave?” cooed Liz Jensen, the new executive director at The Texas Zoo.

Zazu lifted up his right claw, flexing his talon in an up-and-down motion as he balanced on Jensen’s forearm.

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Recovery group urges residents to apply for FEMA

November 18, 2017

Hurricane Harvey survivors have until the end of November to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“It’s imperative that people register for FEMA,” said John Frederick, public affairs specialist for the Small Business Administration.

Frederick said although it’s close to 90 days after Harvey, residents continue to walk into the FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers for help.

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Rural Victoria County fights for help after Harvey

November 19, 2017

BLOOMINGTON - People who live in rural parts of Victoria County don’t want to be forgotten.

Danny Garcia is one of them. Now a county commissioner, Garcia grew up in Bloomington, where Hurricane Harvey ripped corrugated metal roofs from janky homes, sent trees crashing onto trailer houses and soaked the ceiling of the local Dairy Queen - one of the only eateries in town.

The hurricane’s winds and rains had no mercy for those already struggling to put food on dinner tables or repair deteriorating homes.

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Council to revisit rules on temporary housing

November 20, 2017

The city of Victoria is looking to make it easier for residents to live in recreational vehicles while their homes are being repaired after Hurricane Harvey.

The hurricane caused widespread damage throughout the city, forcing residents to live in hotel rooms or seek shelter with family members. In response, the City Council is planning to discuss whether to waive some rules dictating how long people can live in temporary housing such as RVs.

“If someone has a home that’s damaged, they could bring in, temporarily, a mobile home,” city spokesman O.C. Garza said.

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Customers, employees respond to Lacks, Harbor Freight reopenings

November 21, 2017

Lacks sales consultant April Aguirre worked hard to train other employees while the store was closed for two months to prepare for the reopening.

“I’m excited we’re open again,” said Aguirre, 24, of Victoria. “It’s not just a job; it’s my family. I’m back together with my family.”

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State officials remove sunken damage along Texas coast

November 22, 2017

Officials yanked the equivalent of an armada from the Texas coast after Hurricane Harvey.

Of the 676 boats that sank in state waters in late August, 77 sank in local ports from Seadrift to Palacios, said Robb Muil, the area manager for oil prevention and response for the Texas General Land Office.

Muil told the Port Commission of Port Lavaca on Tuesday that the GLO yanked the final boat from its watery grave Nov. 11. He said in the process, the GLO, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency prevented almost 60,000 gallons of hazardous material from spilling.

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Refugio couple lose roof, but not hope

November 23, 2017

REFUGIO - Deborah Williams had not heard the gospel song in years when it popped into her head the night of Aug. 25.

She was sitting on her granddaughter’s twin size-mattress in the hallway when she heard the sounds of a storm surrounding their house.

Hurricane Harvey’s winds were whipping westward into the county that night and inched its way closer to the Williamses’ yellow home outside Refugio. The metal carport clanged and crashed as it was lifted and thrown across SH 202.

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Salvation Army Thanksgiving meal a success

November 24, 2017

Jan and Tom Janota have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Among the reasons the couple is thankful is the fact they’re about to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. Another big perk is their Victoria home survived Hurricane Harvey - with the exception of a few loose shingles.

They’re also happy the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving Day meal continued - something that almost didn’t happen because the nonprofit’s building was damaged by the hurricane.

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Home improvement stores prosper on Black Friday

November 25, 2017

By 8 a.m. Friday, Lindsey Ledwig had already shopped at several stores for Black Friday.

The former Victoria resident shopped at Target, Walmart and JCPenney on Thursday after a Thanksgiving meal and woke up at 4:15 a.m. Friday to continue shopping.

“We do this every year,” Ledwig said at the parking lot of Lowe’s Home Improvement after loading up her vehicle with purchases. “Everyone has been so friendly everywhere we’ve been.”

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'They are small, but their voices are loud'

November 26, 2017

AUSTWELL - The nose of a shovel sliced through loose dirt and weeds, forced into the earth by the sole of a cowboy boot.

Cindy Preisel, 53, grasped the shovel in one hand as she knelt to sift through dirt, plucking a flower bulb from the soil and tossing it into a bucket. She stood in an overgrown patch of weeds, the remains of flower beds she tended to for almost 10 years - until she abandoned her damaged Tivoli rental home in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

“I’m trying to get some of my glads and lilies,” said Preisel, who wore a knee-length denim jacket and aqua-colored earrings that matched the color of her eyes. “I already took my rose bushes.”

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Harvey increases construction business, causes shortage of workers

November 27, 2017

Hurricane Harvey destroyed Melissa Cantwell’s house.

Her husband is repairing their home because they couldn’t find a reliable contractor.

At least 20 contractors told Cantwell, of Crescent Valley, they would give her a written estimate, but she only received one.

“For the most part, I kind of thought people weren’t interested because they didn’t think they were going to be paid up front,” she said. “And if anyone has ever done any work with construction, you don’t pay up front.”

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Tourists return to area ravaged by hurricane

November 28, 2017

FULTON - They were enthralled and cheering like proud parents at a Little League game.

“Get it! Get it!”

But they weren’t at a game; they weren’t even on dry land.

More than 30 people were aboard the Skimmer as one of nature’s marvels tried to snag a snake.

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DeWitt County unveils drone program

November 29, 2017

CUERO - With the sound of a buzzing beehive, the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office’s newest drone levitated and flew out of sight Tuesday morning outside the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office.

In the official unveiling of the agency’s new unmanned aerial vehicle program, Sheriff Carl Bowen demonstrated in what capacity the new program will serve.

“This program is designed to enhance law enforcement capabilities,” Bowen said.

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Awning on vacant theater suspected to be unsafe

November 30, 2017

Victoria officials suspect the awning on an old vacant theater at 206 E. Constitution St. is a safety hazard in a high foot-traffic downtown area.

On Nov. 15, the city’s code enforcement office posted a public hearing notice on the building that states, “Inspection of the above referenced property has revealed suspected violations of the standards ... of the Victoria City Code.”

A hearing is pending for Jan. 25 before the Victoria Building and Standards Commission.

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Magali Silva experienced Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

Silva stayed in Victoria during Harvey. Weeks later, her family in Puerto Rico went through Irma and Maria, she said.

Her mother and sister’s family from Puerto Rico stayed with her in Victoria for a period of time.

After their stay, the family decided for Silva to keep her nephews and niece in the United States.

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