Beryl Tours East Texas
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
EAST TEXAS – Hurricane Beryl became the earliest category five storm in history, barreling through the Caribbean wreaking havoc, leaving at least 11 dead along its route through several islands. Making landfall in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the storm weakened and was predicted to continue into the Tampico, Mexico area, or perhaps as far north as the Rio Grande.
The storm’s unexpected turn to the northeast left few days for planning, although the fast-moving storm had weakened severely and didn’t have time to come anywhere near it’s former strength, coming ashore near Matagorda Sunday, July 7 as a category one storm.
While the storm caused at least one death in Houston and left almost three million without power, other than some temporary flooding and downed limbs, the now tropical storm came through Houston County as more of a heavy rain storm, although wind gusts could be high at times.
While there were several cases of power lines down and tree limbs on roads, there were no reports of serious injuries, and the almost four inches of rain the storm left behind were appreciated by the county’s farmers and ranchers.
At the Tuesday, July 9 county commissioners meeting, Office of Emergency Management’s Heath Murff said firefighters and first responders worked well together, responding to issues during the storm. Murff noted the turnout from volunteers was highs they responded to 36 calls for traffic hazards and downed limbs or power lines, staying busy Monday, July 8 from noon until the evening, during the heart of the storm.
Houston County Electric Co-Op (HCEC) lineman found themselves scrambling yet again, in what has turned out to be a year for the record books for the hardworking group. By Monday night, there were almost five thousand without power in the areas HCEC serves, with 1,618 in Houston County and another 1,850 in Anderson County.
Some significant and scattered damage was noted in the Kennard area, near Davy Crockett National Forest, tree limbs and power lines down near Houston County Lake, with several broken poles in the Hudson/Apple Springs/Groveton area.
By mid-day Tuesday, there were only 1,710 still without power, 620 of them in Houston County, with HCEC expecting the lights to be back on for most areas by late Wednesday. The eastern part of the electric system, between Pennington and Apple Springs, sustained the heaviest damage, with other serious damage around Buffalo.
Beryl’s final cost is still unknown, as the storm continues to drop rain on other areas of the country as it gradually loses intensity. There were no reports of tornadoes spawned by the storm.
The storm comes early in the hurricane season, especially given the intensity with which it began its journey. The warm waters of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are expected to attract and strengthen more storms this year, before the season ends this fall.
Some local stores ran low on certain items, even placing restrictions on the amount of certain items per customer. Preparedness is always key. Stay tuned to storms possibly developing or heading this way. Make sure you are ready if the power goes out. Secure items that could easily fly away in heavy winds, damaging people or other items. Don’t forget about pets and those who have trouble helping themselves.
Beryl, which was a milder storm by the time it reached our area, proved how damaging a bigger storm could have been, not counting the possible tornadoes born from such storms.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
