Rain is gone, damages assessed
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

The month of July was a wet one for East Texas. Rain hit Henderson County with a splash, and there are few counters to so much rain falling at one time.

JD Jones, utility director for the city of Brownsboro, said the rainfall's sudden assault left little say in the matter.

"You get five, six inches of rain at one time and it's going to flood," Jones said. "There's not much you can do about it."

And the rain was just the opening act, Jones said. Water damage was soon to follow.

"We had to replace a manhole on Browning Street. Water forced out the top and we had to replace it," Jones remarked.

The damage to Browning Street wasn't half of it. Jones' team also had to fix a dam at the West Water Treatment Plant.

"We had to haul in 100 yards of red clay to save it," Jones said. "It took about a week."

Jones' work force for dealing with the dam's troubles was composed of 14-yard-long trucks, he stated, and the rebuilding effort took 100 loads of red clay to make the dam solid.

Jones said if the rain had been any more thorough in its destruction of the dam, Kickapoo Creek and Lake Palestine would have overflowed, more so than the current state at the time.

Joy Kimbrough, emergency management coordinator for Henderson County, said the Trinity River at Trinidad, just 30 miles from Brownsboro, crested at 41 feet.

"The river's flood state is 28 feet," Kimbrough said. According to Kimbrough, the flooding started June 16 and carried on until midnight, August 3rd.

The city of Brownsboro has certainly felt the monetary effects of this flood.

Ron Harris, mayor of Brownsboro, said the initial expenses before adding labor costs came to about $25,000.

"With the hours added on it's much more," Harris said.

For example, the work at the sewage plant, according to city records, hit $11,000 before labor costs were factored in. Afterwards the total was over $25,000, close to the combined cost of the opening damages.

Another major cost, Harris said, was a bridge behind Brownsboro ISD, the repair of which cost over $11,000 with labor factored in.

The damage was not entirely on the city, Harris added. Individuals were also affected.

"I know the dentist office had some minor water damage, " Harris stated.

Kimbrough said the Disaster Recovery Center will be present Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 3-5, to help persons or small businesses in Henderson County with damage claims. This will take place from 9 am to 6 pm at the Cain Center on 915 South Palestine in Athens.

Jones offered advice for those stricken with water damage, saying FEMA has been in the Brownsboro area for three or four weeks, and might reimburse people with claims.

"When you're at the bottom of a hill and you get six inches of rain, you get a lot of water, " Jones said.