Woodsboro pulls together after Harvey

Sept. 30--WOODSBORO -- The only items that remain undestroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Olia Anderson's house are photos.

"I've lost just about everything except pictures of my parents, my children and grandkids. My family," Anderson, 69, said. "Most of my pictures survived, thank God."

Anderson is one Woodsboro resident who decided to evacuate to avoid the Category 4 hurricane churning in the Gulf. She went to Round Rock to stay with her son and has been there for a month.

When she returned to her wooden, 1927 Woodsboro home, she saw how rain entered her home after the roof was nearly blown off.

The water ruined almost everything, Anderson said, save for photos. Though her windows were boarded up, a couple of the photos were still blown out from Harvey's 130 mph winds.

Anderson does not have insurance, so she applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help kickstart the rebuilding process of her home. Anderson is not sure when her home will be ready to live in again.

That's the case for several people in Woodsboro, said Mayor Kay Roach. The effect of a storm like Harvey is amplified in a small town. Roach estimated more than half the town has experienced total devastation to their homes or near-total devastation.

She predicts the population of 1,500 will decrease because of the severe damages to residents' homes.

"The only thing I foresee in our future is rebuilding and rebuilding better," Roach said. "We're looking for long-term solutions, not short-term solutions."

Roach said the city is working to possibly receive state grants and is working with the county to reach out to the Commission to Rebuild Texas, which oversees the response and relief effort between state and local governments.

"Hopefully they will start initiating funds to not only repair but to revitalize," Roach said. "You can fix something old, but if this happens again, that 'fix' will get ruined again."

A big help to the town has been a volunteer group with Grunt Style, a patriotic and military apparel line.

The group of eight has been in Woodsboro for three weeks and has turned the Eagle's Nest, an after school community center, into a distribution shelter for residents.

The group fixed the building and plan to stay for the next two to three months, said Dennis Wright, a volunteer from Portland, Ore. and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Wright said the CEO of Grunt Style, Dan Alarik, is committed to completely renovate the Eagle's Nest center and continue to help residents. The volunteers are also helping residents with their homes with tree removal, placing tarps on roofs, and helping clean homes.

Residents are also able to go by the center for supplies such as water, cleaning supplies, food, blankets, and clothes.

"I'll be here until the job is done," Wright said.

The animal life of Woodsboro is also being cared for by Wags, Hope and Healing, a nonprofit rescue organization from Austin. Crystal Degroot, a volunteer from Austin who spent eight years as a veterinary technician, has been in Woodsboro for almost a month, finding abandoned dogs and those left behind after Harvey for financial reasons. The dogs rescued by Wags, Hope and Healing are being housed in the yard at the Eagle's Nest to await adoption.

Wednesday, the group had 17 rescued dogs and puppies. Degroot, like Wright, is committed to helping the Woodsboro community.

"There's a lot to be done here and we're going to stay here," Degroot said.

Tuttle's Grocery and Market, a market store and restaurant, was opened the day after Harvey hit.

Stanley Tuttle, the owner of the store, said the store was running off generators and was the only store open in Woodsboro for three to four days. Lines formed outside the store, and only a few shoppers were allowed inside. Tuttle credits his employees for their work efforts during such a chaotic time.

"They stepped up to do what needed to be done for the community," he said.

Though the town is steadily recovering from Hurricane Harvey -- the debris pickup started this week -- Anderson said the town is pulling together. She keeps an optimistic outlook despite the losses the town has experienced.

"Everybody is helping each other, which is great. It's going to take time to rebuild," Anderson said. "What's important is that no one was hurt in our area."

Related coverage

Day 1: Here comes Harvey

Day 2: Brace yourself

Day 3: 'Prayers protect us'

Day 4: 'We thought we were going to die'

Day 5: 'At least God let us live'

Day 6: 'It's the luck of the draw'

Day 7: 'Everybody will pull together'

Day 8: Guadalupe floods parts of Victoria

Day 9: Texas Zoo evacuates animals (w/video)

Day 10: The Long Road Ahead (w/video)

Day 11: Residents rely on families to rebuild

Day 12: For some, normal still far away

Day 13: Church offers refuge for devastated town

Day 14: Victims find hardship, opportunity (w/video)

Day 15: FEMA frustrates Harvey victims

Day 16: Displaced and in disarray

Day 17: Disaster for humans means catastrophe for pets

Day 18: Nature interrupted (w/video)

Day 19: 'It was like we had been bombed'

Day 20: Students returning to school feel weight of Harvey

Day 21: International Crane Foundation loses office after hurricane

Day 22: Ranching structures, cotton mostly damaged by Harvey

Day 23: Port Lavaca struggles back after Harvey

Day 24: Refugio: 'We're trying to get back to normal'

Day 25: Nonprofit leaves people lost after Harvey

Day 26: 'We are human beings like everyone else'

Day 27: Refugio schools find way to reopen

Day 28: Bloomington schools begin year in different classroom setups

Day 29: Methodist church serves those in need after hurricane

Day 30: Scientists measure damage to endangered species' habitat (w/video)

Day 31: Medical community feels impact of Harvey

Day 32: Harvey's speed leaves many in harm's way

Day 33: After Harvey, Seadrift couple forced out of home

Day 34: Bloomington Elementary School educates students in FEMA dome

Day 35: School districts share issues with state, US senator

Day 36: VISD students observe See You at the Pole

Day 37: Expectant family struggles after Harvey (w/video)

Helpful information

Where to get water, gas and other supplies

Helpful information after the storm

Updates on city services

Additional coverage

Free water well test kits available from Extension Service

UHV student count up, VC's remain flat after Harvey

Victoria to resume recycling

Laurel Ridge hosts auction for hurricane recovery efforts

Formosa releases most chemicals in region after hurricane

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