San Marcos reports downed trees, power lines after hail storm
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Severe storms wreaked havoc in multiple Central Texas counties on Thursday, with San Marcos and Johnson City taking considerable damage with wind-blown hail.
The National Weather Service reported 5-inch hail from a meteorologist and storm chaser in Johnson City in Blanco County. NWS lists hail of that size as CD or DVD size.
The City of San Marcos said Friday that crews have been working throughout the night to address the damages caused by the storms.
“Reports indicate significant damage from wind and hail, including downed trees, power lines, and traffic signal disruptions,” the city said.
According to the update, the city has also scheduled a brush drop for Saturday, May 11.
“For safety reasons, the Purgatory Creek Natural Area and the Lime Kiln section of the Spring Lake Natural Area will remain closed until further notice due to hazardous conditions caused by downed trees. We are also asking residents to avoid river-front parks due to downed tree limbs,” the city said.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra told KXAN he requested local disaster declaration approval from Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
San Marcos Independent School District announced that school Friday, May 10 would operate on a two-hour delay. The district said staff had already begun assessing campuses Thursday evening, and the delay will allow district staff to collaborate with city officials Friday morning to assess all campuses and district buildings to ensure the safety of students and staff.
SMCISD campus hours on Friday, May 10 are as follows:
Bonham & Elementary Campuses – 9:35 AM-3:15 PM
Middle School – 10:35 AM-4:10PM
High School – 10:40 AM-4:20 PM
Severe weather brings DVD-size hail in Central Texas
The majority of the rest of Central Texas remained under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until midnight. Severe storms are capable of producing very large hail and damaging winds, but an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out, the KXAN First Warning Weather Team reported.
In a statement to KXAN Thursday, a spokesperson for the City of San Marcos said it was still working to gather information, as well as assess damages.
“SMTX Utilities is actively addressing ongoing outages resulting from the storm,” the city said Friday. “Our dedicated crews, alongside assistance from neighboring utility providers, are working non-stop to restore power.”
Multiple crews have been dispatched to start clearing downed trees, as well as other debris, so they can make repairs, according to the city.
Cleanup in Hays County
KXAN ran into Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra while he was cleaning up debris in front of his home.
“We watched it coming, and we felt it happen. I mean, all the trees started pushing and we saw the hail. We saw it all firsthand.”
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra
Becerra said he was in contact with the county’s emergency management services director and the countywide chief of staff throughout the night.
“As I come out to see what damage I have, holy smokes. I lost quite a bunch of limbs,” Becerra said.
The judge said they are already coordinating the clean-up countywide.
“There’ll be some operations between the municipalities and the county, depending on where the damage is,” Becerra said. “If we hit a certain threshold, we’ll be able to get state support to take care of this.”
Also out surveying the mayhem was arborist Andrew Morgan. He was driving down the broken branch-lined streets of San Marcos, seeing if anyone needed his emergency services.
“Whenever storms hit, we pull trees out of houses and put them on curbs,” Morgan, who owns a company called Roving Arborist Tree Service, said.
Morgan sees the worst storms that come through Texas. While the damage was evident Thursday night, he said it was a “nice” night compared to some of his other jobs.
“It’s kind of normal to me. [Storms] come and go,” he said. “Whenever they happen, I scout around — make sure no one is pinned in a car. Sometimes I have to cut them out of cars or [houses].”
Though the damage wasn’t as severe as Morgan might see after a hurricane, after 10 p.m. Thursday, he found one person with a tree crashed through their house.
“Of course, they took my information,” he said. “I gave him my number, and told him to call me.”
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