After three full days of operating a volunteer resource center at the Dunbar Recreation Center, 801 Martin Luther King Drive, San Marcos, four people have volunteered to help with flood recovery efforts in San Marcos, Kyle, Buda and Martindale, Volunteer Coordinator Courtney Goss said.
“People are tired,” Goss said. “People are exhausted. They spent all their resources, all their time—they took off all their time from work—after Memorial Day. If they had extra funds they gave then. If they had extra furniture or anything they gave it then.”
The resource center, which is open Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-3 p.m., can connect volunteers with opportunities to serve. The center also connects those affected by floods with volunteers or volunteer organizations that can assist in the recovery efforts.
Goss, who is working with the Blanco River Regional Recovery Team, or BR3T, said she suspects there are about twice as many Hays County residents who have been affected by flooding Oct. 30-31 as were affected by the Memorial Day weekend floods in May.
The damage, she said, is much more widespread than it was in May. Much of the damage from the May floods was caused by gushing water on the Blanco River, which uprooted historic trees along the river and tore almost 80 homes from their foundations. That event was mostly isolated to Wimberley, San Marcos and Martindale.
The October event included flooding throughout much of Hays County and part of Travis County, as well as a tornado southeast of Hays County. Some Kyle residents reported as many as 16 inches of rain on Oct. 30.
“That makes it hard to assess where the damage is because it is so widespread,” Goss said. “It’s not like we can follow the river down and say, ‘These are the people. Just follow the river.’ It’s everywhere.”
Volunteers are needed for everything from paperwork to data entry to removing sheet rock and flooring from homes. Goss said the BR3T will put anyone to work, no matter their skill level or experience.
Donations can also be made to the BR3T at any Wells Fargo branch location. For more information on the BR3T and recovery efforts throughout Hays County, visit
www.br3t.org or call 512-393-8146