Storms Damage Local Doctor’s Office

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – The warm snap which hit the area over the holidays brought a couple of serious storms, both with heavy rain, one featuring more lightning and the other, frightening winds. Most of East Texas was under several warnings, from flooding to strong winds, all the way to warnings of possible tornadoes.

The worst of those hit Saturday, Dec. 28, causing heavy rain to blanket the area, making driving almost impossible during the worst of the rain. One of those caught out in the storm was one of those who work with Dr. Michael McLeod at Texas Family Doctor, located on the Crockett 304 Loop.

Unable to see clearly through the heavy rain and worried for her safety, she pulled off the loop into the office parking lot to wait for the worst to pass. The office, luckily, was closed, but she was just in time to see the roof of the structure start to come away.

“Within a minute of her arriving, she saw part of the roof come off into the parking lot,” McLeod remembered. “Of course, I didn’t understand the gravity of it, but within the hour I saw water pouring in the office from several spots and the roof mangled in front of the building and part of it laying in the parking lot.”

McLeod has been able to build a loyal following of patients in an area desperate for good, local doctors. His background has been as a doctor in rural areas and it was less than a year ago when he moved into the new location.

The building itself has played an important part in Houston County medical lore, and since 1968 has housed several of the doctors who have kept the area healthy. Originally intended to move in during March, leaks were found which delayed that for three months.

Finally open for business in an expanded location, McLeod quickly added Nurse Practitioner Kristi Estes, and just last month doubled his staff to deal with a new influx of patients. McLeod didn’t know it at the time, but he wasn’t the only one who heard about the damage – word had spread quickly online, too. 

“There was myself and some family, along with one employee,” McLeod said. “Mostly, it was community folks who stopped by and knew something had happened and just started moving things. They were helping us get as much of the equipment and things out of the water path as we could and that saved, you know the majority of our equipment. We didn’t invite them – they just came and helped save some irreplaceable equipment. ”

People in nearby buildings and those who happened to be driving by stopped and helped shift the expensive and life-saving equipment to dry places, out of the path of the water, giving McLeod and his team a better chance of coming back after the disaster. Others offered to help scrub floors and clean up, while others offered to feed those working on the mess. 

The response helped in the short term, but the long-term is more daunting, as repairs could take up to six months to be completed, after not only the roof, but walls and floors were impacted by the cascading waters from the downpour. 

McLeod said much of medicine these days is digital, meaning no patient files were lost and the office numbers are routed remotely, allowing to staff to take patient calls even on their mobile phones. Volunteers and staff worked through Friday to prepare a section of the unused back of the building and McLeod felt he should be ready to see patients again as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 7. 

McLeod said he is not sure why, of all the structures along Crockett’s Lop 304, this happened to him, but attributes it to a higher power, and isn’t going to let the setback slow his passion for taking care of his patients.

“It is devastating when you put your work into your patients – and caring for patience is what I do. The logistical part of running a business and managing a facility just comes with the job.” McLeod said. “Personally, it sets you back. It’s another challenge, but I feel like if God gives us challenges, there’s usually a plan. Whatever that plan is, it’s big, so, we’re just hopeful we can get ourselves reset and take care of patients for the time being and see where this goes from there.” 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]