Wichita County part of state disaster declaration, neighboring Clay County left out
In response to severe storms and flooding since late April, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration Tuesday including Wichita County — but not Clay County.
Nor was Wichita County's neighbor to the west included in the additional counties Abbott swept into an expanded proclamation Thursday.
A plea for help
Citing record rainfall hitting rapidly and its toll on roads, Clay County Judge Mike Campbell is asking the governor to issue a declaration of disaster for Clay County because of flooding.
"Our greatest concern is for the safety of our residents and damage to their vehicles," Campbell said Thursday in a letter to the governor. "The damaged roads will also impact emergency rescue vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks. Schools may not be able to transport children to school during this time."
Northwestern Clay County has the most road damage, but all precincts have suffered it, Campbell said.
Lives at risk
"Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Pickett reported that due to the loss of a culvert, two of our residents had to use AirEvac services for medical treatment when their pickup fell into a deep hole in the road caused by the rain," the county judge said in the letter.
County road crews are working overtime with limited materials to repair failing roads and lessen the severity of future problems, Campbell said.
"Most of our roads are rural, gravel roads that may not appear damaged until someone inadvertently drives off into a damaged area that is not readily visible," he said.
Rising costs from flood damage
The county will quickly shell out over $100,000 on repairs and mitigation at the current spending rate, he said. Responding effectively to the flooding issues is beyond the county's capability.
Campbell asked the governor not only for a declaration of disaster but also for successive proclamations to stay in effect until threats to life, injury and property damage to are contained.
Severe weather to continue
Campbell pointed out that since April 1, the National Weather Service has issued 20 severe thunderstorm warnings, two tornado warnings and four flash flood warnings for the county
He said the NWS predicts more rain this week — rainfall that will ramp up the risk of road failures and the loss of material.
Wichita County in initial disaster declaration
On Tuesday, Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 29 counties walloped by severe storms and weather that began April 26, according to a media release.
The counties in the initial declaration include: Baylor, Chambers, Dickens, Ellis, Freestone, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Haskell, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Kaufman, Knox, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Montgomery, Navarro, Polk, San Jacinto, Somervell, Tarrant, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, and Wichita.
What counties were added?
The governor expanded the declaration Thursday to include 59 counties in at-risk areas, bringing the total to 88 counites, according to a media release. More may be added if warranted.
"For Texans in at-risk areas, it is important to remain weather-aware, follow the guidance of state and local officials, and avoid traveling in dangerous flood conditions," Abbott said in a media release.
"The State of Texas continues working with emergency management and local officials to deploy any additional resources needed to provide ongoing support and protect our fellow Texans," Abbot said.
The counties added Thursday include: Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Cherokee, Colorado, Comal, Coryell, DeWitt, Falls, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Gregg, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hardin, Hays, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Llano, Mason, Medina, Milam, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Travis, Van Zandt, Waller, Washington, Williamson, and Wilson.
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Trish Choate is serving as the interim editor for the Wichita Falls Times Record News, San Angelo Standard-Times and Abilene Reporter-News. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita County part of state disaster declaration but not Clay County
