TSCRA Members Report on Storm Damage
With Hurricane Harvey continuing to pour unprecedented volumes of rain across much of eastern Texas, direct reports from cattle producers in the affected areas have understandingly been slow. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) has asked its members to e-mail their reports as a means of documenting conditions and helping coordinate emergency responses.
A sampling of messages shows a wide range of flood damage and conditions. It seems likely that producers in the most-severely affected areas would be the least able or inclined to send in reports, and accounts of the worst devastation will come to light in the days to come.
You can follow the member reports and read updates on the storm on the TSCRA website.
A sample of current reports includes these:
· Here in Buna, Texas we have gotten about 11 – 15 inches (depends on who you ask). Some of the businesses were closed today and school did not start today as planned. It will start after Labor Day. I haven’t heard of anyone here needing to evacuate.
· I’m in the central Texas area just east of San Antonio. We spent all day Saturday and Sunday in what was the eye wall of Harvey once it reached its northernmost point. We did not have the catastrophic damage that the coastal cities and now Houston is having, but the wind was constant and damaging.
· Three inches of rain in Melvin, TX. No damages.
· Thank you for caring… my livestock is up in north Texas but I did loose a home to flooding. Thank you
· I think we are holding our own. Cows were stranded on mound. They swam to me and we put them in the meadow. Feeding out hay. Had to button up some fence to hold them. Have major fence damage in other pastures. We are holding our own with generator. Lost several barns but house ok.
· Wharton County. 15 – 20 inches of rain. Have our cattle and equipment moved to higher ground as we are right on the Colorado River. Now awaiting a major flood but all should be good. Lots of cattle have been moved so hopefully livestock losses should be minimal. Flood is predicted to be long lasting.
· It’s still an ongoing threat. Not sure what is needed yet, plenty of high water and more to come. The Colorado River is supposed to crest in 2 days at Bay City and is already out of banks.
· Gonzales and contiguous counties seemed to fare the hurricane relatively well for the most part. Structural damage varies depending how close you were to the eye of the storm. It seems that, for the most part, cattle weathered the storm relatively well here. Currently, flooding conditions pose a real threat to people and livestock.
· Graford – We have not been affected by the hurricane or rains but I do have 800 acres available in Palo Pinto County if they are needed by any rancher who needs to relocate his livestock. Happy to help. (please email TSCRA for contact).
· All is well in Mineral, Texas. Just to let you know, power is back on, lots of mud, rain. wind and trees down, but we and our animals are safe.
· Near Yorktown, Dewitt County – No cattle loss nor injury. Fences are all up after removing some limbs and re-routing around root ball of fallen tree. Others in immediate area have not mentioned cow problems.
· We are located in Guadalupe Co, east of Seguin. We received ~ 13” of rain up to this morning. A few downed trees, but livestock is fine.
· The report from Bastrop to Gonzales is WET!! The average rainfall since last Friday is 22-23 inches. Some road closures, lots of gaps out, minor low lying area flooding, but overall everything is ok. The rivers Colorado, San Marcos, and Guadalupe have just crested, and receding ever so slowly. Rain stopped in our area.
· Waller County – We have had just under 40 inches of rain since early Saturday morning. Mound Creek has flooded the road and all of our front pastures which I’m sure will kill the grass. Got all but 6 cows & 2 calves moved to high ground in back pasture, assume the strays have drown down on the South end.
· Read more from TSCRA.
