Governor Travels to Houston County Following Monday Storms

State Will Stand “Shoulder-to-Shoulder” with County as it Rebuilds

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – In the wake of the devastating storms that wreaked havoc on Houston County on Monday night, March 21, Texas Governor Greg Abbott traveled to the Oldest County in Texas to assess the damage.

A press conference was held at the Crockett Civic Center to address the steps area residents should take to get back on their feet and what the state could do to assist in the process.

Flanked by Texas Department of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Houston County Judge Jim Lovell, Crockett Mayor Dr. Ianthia Fisher and Houston County Sheriff Randy Hargrove, Gov. Abbott began the briefing shortly after 4:30 pm.

“Houston County has faced a horrific storm – a massive tornado that ripped apart substantial parts of the county,” he said. “Despite the travesty of what has occurred to property, it is a miracle that no one lost their life. Property can always be replaced, but life cannot. Through effective emergency management and through the self-preservation of those who live in Houston County, they were able to withstand the storm, with everyone still alive.”

The governor indicated it was his understanding approximately 10 people sustained injuries, with one very severe injury. He also expressed his hope for a speedy recovery for those who were suffering and in need of medical assistance.

“It is also my understanding that there are approximately 30 structures that have been damaged in the area. That is an early assessment. As we go forward in the next day or two and do a better assessment, we will be better able to identify exactly how many structures have been damaged. Of those damaged structures, about 20 to 25 of them are homes. Some of those homes are places where residents will not be able to stay right now,” Gov. Abbott said.

“In typical Houston County fashion,” he continued, “many friends and family members are taking in others who are displaced from their homes right now. There were about 72 people in a shelter, I think in this location (Crockett Civic Center) last night. They may not be here tonight because of the care, love and support of their family and friends. At this time, we are not able to predict exactly how long it will be before people are able to return to their homes. Some may have lost their homes altogether; some may need minor repairs; and still others may merely need for the power to come back on. Hopefully, we will be getting most of these people back in their homes very quickly.”

Abbott further reported he had spoken with Mayor Fisher earlier in the day and she had informed him it was her belief most people were still in shock. The mayor added it could possibly take several days before people came to a reckoning and began to grapple with what they needed to do in order to take the next steps forward.

“One of those steps is restoring power to homes. Understand when a tornado or tornadoes rip through a county, they topple over power lines and power structures, making it impossible to get power to someone’s house. ONCOR says they may be able to complete their operations, perhaps as early as by midnight tonight (Tuesday). There will be a segment of homes that receive power from Houston County Electric CO-OP. Because of the damage done in those areas, it may be a day or two. It is premature to make a definitive assessment. Just know, that those in charge of restoring power are working around- the-clock to get the power up and running again,” Abbott said.

Changing gears somewhat, the state’s chief executive brought up how TDEM needed to accurately assess the damage done by the tornadic activity.

“This is important for establishing a federal disaster declaration. To the extent that homeowners have the ability to provide that assessment, I want to give you a location where you can provide that information. It is www.damage.tdem.texas.gov. I want Houston County to know, there is a dedicated person with TDEM who is focused on Houston County. The State of Texas is going to stay working with Houston County shoulder-to-shoulder, all the way through,” Abbott said.

He added Houston County was blessed with great leadership that is “… loving, caring and supportive. That includes the Houston County Judge, the Houston County Sheriff, the Crockett Mayor, the Crockett City Administrator, the Crockett Police Chief, the Crockett Fire Chief, as well as State Sen. (Robert) Nichols and State Rep. (Trent) Ashby. This is a community where when disaster strikes, people come together and it is on display and will continue to be on display.”

Abbott went on to say other areas of the state, other than Houston County, had also been affected by tornadoes and as a result he had issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties, at this time. These counties are: Bastrop, Cass, Cooke, Grayson, Guadalupe, Houston, Jack, Madison, Marion, Montague, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Upshur, Williamson, and Wise.

“What this declaration does,” the governor said, “is to ensure Houston County has the resources available to respond to this devastating storm, as well as, it will accelerate the process for which they will be able to make recovery happen a lot quicker.”

Abbott then turned the dais over to County Judge Jim Lovell who commented, “I would like to welcome everyone here today although it is not for the reason we would like for it to be. I would especially like to thank Gov. Abbott, Chief Nim Kidd, State Rep. Trent Ashby and State Sen. Robert Nichols.

“I can’t say enough about our local first responders here,” he continued. “As I looked around today, both from the air and from the ground, I saw the linemen who had been brought in. They were working tirelessly to be able to restore electricity. If it can happen by midnight tonight, it will be unbelievable.”

The judge also expressed his gratitude to the Red Cross and to the Texas Department of Public Safety for their help throughout Monday night and into Tuesday.

“I just can’t say enough about the people of Houston County and how resilient we are. It’s no big surprise though, because we were the first county established in Texas. Yes, we are resilient and yes, we will bounce back,” Judge Lovell said.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].