Resource centers helping flood victims in Hereford, Amarillo with relief efforts
Burt Minske, operations chief with Texas A&M response team, spoke about the effort to drain the playa lake that has flooded roads and homes around the El Campo community right outside of Hereford.
He said the group has been onsite since last Friday and hopes to have the roads drained in the community. Three temporary pumps have been continuously running through the side canals of the road, which limits the amount that can be pumped at one time.
“We are a statewide asset that can respond across the state; we were sent to give the area assistance,” Minske said. “The community has been incredibly positive with the work that we have been doing. This has been a historic flood, and people need to stay out of any lingering water and let the experts do their job."
Zach Wilson, executive director of the High Plains Food Bank, and his organization were on hand at the Multi Agency Resource Center, set up at the First Baptist Church in Hereford to distribute emergency food boxes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We are here to help those that have been impacted from flooding along with these other agencies," Wilson said. “The food we are utilizing is part of our disaster inventory. These are all foods that do not need to be prepared, since many families do not have the resources to cook food.”
He said that with the great amount of emergency situations from people impacted by disaster, such as this flooding, that it's more important than ever to receive support from the community to be able to service the 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle.
To donate to the High Plains Food Bank, go to https://www.hpfb.org/ .
Janell Menahem, the chairperson for Texas Panhandle Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), spoke about the resources made available at its temporary center in Deaf Smith County that was provided for those affected by the flood.
“We have gotten several resources together, getting things going to where immediate needs are being met," Menahem said.
She said that this resource center was collaborating with local residents to help them get emergency financial aid and/or housing assistance. Also available were cleanup kits, food boxes, utility assistance, help replacing documents, recovery guidance and many other essential services.
“We targeted the San Jose (El Campo) community just because we know that over 125 homes have been affected by this flooding,” Menahen said. “Many of these homes have been totally destroyed, with many others taking severe damage from the flood waters.”
Many of the families that are affected by the flood in the El Campo area are at or below the poverty line, with an inability to leave the unincorporated area. On Tuesday, the support center serviced more than 75 households to help with assistance.
Multi-agency resource center to open for 2 days in Amarillo area
Starting today, the VOAD will have its multi-agency resource center set up at the Randall County Fire Station Event Center, located at 1111 S Loop 335, with multiple assistance agencies available to Amarillo area residents who are displaced and affected by recent flooding. The center will be set up for Thursday, June 8, from noon to 7p.m. and Friday, June 9, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Resources and agency officials will be available to help residents get information and assistance.
Randall County extends disaster, gets update on 77th Street flood victims
The Randall County Commissioners' Court held a special meeting Wednesday to extend its disaster declaration and to speak about its efforts in getting the roads back in service from flooding. Also discussed was a cooperation with the city of Amarillo in alleviating flooding on 77th Street, which has displaced multiple residents with flooding from Playa 7 behind the Greenways in Amarillo.
Judge Christy Dyer got updates from emergency response teams about the state of the roads and was informed the vast majority of flooding was in the northern areas of the county, with 77th Street residents being among those greatly affected. Currently about seven roads in the county are still shut down due to flooding.
Dyer said that the city of Amarillo has put getting the water to recede from 77th Street as a priority and will look into why the system failed the area that was flooded so badly. She said that once the waters have been drained, the city of Amarillo will evaluate the systems in place that led to flooding. Dyer said that the city was working with residents to find shelter and was later told during public comment that the city was referring them to the Red Cross.
“Our heart has been breaking and lamenting for their losses and damages for what they have been through,” Dyer said. “The compassion from this commissioners' court is there, but the ability to provide answers has been difficult."
Laura Abernathy, the niece of Ron Stone, who was among the many residents whose houses flooded, stated during public comment that to this point, there has been very little help given to the residents. She also said that they were told by Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley to reach out to the city manager for housing arrangements, which were to be provided, but were referred elsewhere when she called.
“The only people we have seen so far were the Amarillo environmental people that came out and told us to boil our water, and we had to remind them that we have no running water, electricity or many other things,” Abernathy said. “That was kind of a slap in the face to us.”
The judge was asked about why many residents in the 77th Street area felt that no resources or help were made available to them since the flooding started Thursday.
“Through the command center, we had been told that the city of Amarillo was providing safe shelter for the citizens in the area, as they knocked on every door and made the offer for a safe hotel room to stay in,” Dyer said. “This was news today that it was not being done. The city of Amarillo had said that they wanted to help these citizens, and we gave them the opportunity to do that. I am saddened that isn’t the case."
She said that any citizens who need help should contact the county to be given assistance, and that she was going to work with officials to get this done.
The county's local disaster declaration was extended for 30 days.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Multi agency resource centers offer assistance to flood victims
