A flood of community support
Ark of Highland Lakes volunteers sort through literal tons of flood relief donations scheduled for distribution across Burnet County. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
“I’ve completely lost my house,” Hubert Davis told DailyTrib.com as he arrived at the Ark of Highland Lakes Warehouse in Marble Falls on Thursday, July 10. “As of now, I’m just trying to figure out what to do.”
Davis’ home in Deer Springs was destroyed by Fourth of July floodwaters that swept across Central Texas and the Highland Lakes. Many of his neighbors in the Burnet County neighborhood near Hoover’s Valley shared the same fate.
On July 5, after a long day of work and driving his mother home from the hospital, Davis went to bed at around 3 a.m., only to be woken up by water lapping at his face at around 4:30 a.m. With his home flooded, he had to leave everything behind to make it to safety.
Left with no possessions, but still working his job at the Hidden Falls Golf Course in Meadowlakes, Davis turned to Ark of Highland Lakes for help.
“I’m just needing clothes right now to continue back and forth to work, some food,” he said. “Any type of help to get back to normal.”
Davis is also getting support from the Community Resource Centers of Texas, which is paying for motel rooms for Highland Lakes flood victims.
The cost and impact of the flood on Burnet County is still being calculated, but at least five people were killed locally, one is still missing, and Ark of Highland Lakes has identified 111 victims needing long-term support. The Cow Creek bridge on RR 1431 between Marble Falls and Lago Vista as well as homes and businesses along Hamilton Creek have been destroyed, and more reports of damage are coming in by the day.
In the face of so much destruction, the Highland Lakes community did not wither.
Since Sunday, an estimated 200 volunteers per day have dedicated their time at the Ark Warehouse, 800 Industrial Blvd in Marble Falls, which is serving as a donation hub for much of the supplies being funneled into Burnet County from across Texas and beyond. Literal tons of food, cleaning supplies, clothes, hygiene products, and other essentials are being organized, distributed, and given away by Ark volunteers.
“People come through here that have lost everything,” Ark Hospitality Administrator Angie Martinez told DailyTrib.com, while working at the Warehouse. “We supply them with clothes, with cleaning supplies, with food, with anything they need. This hit home. It’s hard; we’ve heard some hard stories. We have some people who lost people in Kerrville and here.”
Martinez and other volunteers have been working from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the Warehouse to make sure donations sent to the county are put to the best use. Some help sort food, some load trucks destined for work sites across the area, others cook meals for first responders, and even more do whatever needs to be done.
“The thing that is great about being here and being a part of this is that nobody is talking about politics, nobody is yelling at each other. Every single person, regardless of who they are, is here with one question: How can I help?” said Ark volunteer Alex Payson.
Ark of Highland Lakes also has around nine, trained muck-out teams deployed across Burnet County, cleaning and clearing homes impacted by the flood, and a second distribution center at First Christian Church, 204 E. Graves St. in Burnet.
“We are overwhelmed with joy and are just happy that we live in this community like this,” Martinez said.
Assistance is also coming from outside of the community. Martinez was choked with tears as she recounted the delivery of five trailers of supplies all at once from out of state.
“I couldn’t hold it anymore and I just broke down,” she said. “It’s a happy joy to see the love that was shown, and I pray that every day that love will continue.”
On Thursday, members of Lake Church in Horseshoe Bay were stationed at the Ark Warehouse, cooking meals for the dozens of volunteers and first responders in the field. They were joined by the North Texas BBQ Addicts, a group of friends who converged on Marble Falls to lend their smokers and support.
According to Martinez and volunteer Payson, Ark of Highland Lakes is in it for the long haul.
“The recovery side of things will take weeks, or months,” Payson said. “(Flood victims) may not be ready for it today, but a month from today, they will be rebuilding and we’ll be there to help.”
Ark has been the primary hub of flood relief efforts in Burnet County, even being designated as the county’s fiduciary agent for all monetary donations, but it is far from the only organization stepping up.
Elevate Church in Marble Falls has been working tirelessly since July 5 to distribute resources and offer helping hands across Burnet County and other impacted areas in the Hill Country. Church volunteers especially made use of donated resource kits from God’s Pit Crew, a national disaster response organization.
The Marble Falls FFA collected and donated a trailer full of supplies and gift cards to Ark for flood relief.
Dairy Queen in Marble Falls donated 100 percent of proceeds on Thursday to flood relief.
H-E-B in Burnet gave away free disaster relief kits immediately after the flood and still had some available on Friday.
The Llano Yellow Jackets barbecue team hosted a fundraiser on Friday for flood victims. They reportedly sold out of food within hours and raised more than $7,000.
Oaks Nursing Center in Burnet hosted its own barbecue fundraiser on Friday with all proceeds going to the family of Preston Prince, a 22-year-old flood victim from Kingsland.
Save the World Brewing Co. in Marble Falls hosts a fundraiser Saturday, July 12, with 100 percent of taproom sales going to Ark of Highland Lakes.
Kingsland’s Sharing the Harvest food pantry is setting up a mobile pantry of free food and hygiene products from 4-6 p.m. Monday, July 14, at the Kingsland Community Center, 3451 Rose Hill Drive.
First Methodist Church of Marble Falls is hosting a support session for parents to speak with their children about the flood devastation at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15.
The Hill Country Humane Society, 9150 RR 1431 in Buchanan Dam, is giving away free pet food and supplies to flood victims from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.
If your organization or business is helping with flood relief efforts in the Highland Lakes, leave a comment below with details about how people can assist or receive help.
To donate or get help from Ark of Highland Lakes, visit its website, call 325-423-3662, or head to the Warehouse at 800 Industrial Blvd. from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.