City of Broaddus struggling to recover after storm adds to existing issues

BROADDUS, Texas (KTRE) - The City of Broaddus, two weeks after Beryl hit, is having a hard time getting back on their feet and have very few options for help. Eight homes were damaged during the storm but the county did not meet the threshold for FEMA’s individual assistance – leaving homeowners who were impacted without that line of help. “I don’t think we had enough people willing to come forward saying that they had damage for us to qualify,” Crystal Belue, the city’s secretary, said. Another issue is that when the power goes out, so does the water supply system. “We have to run it off generators, but if you don’t get on the generators quick enough, it loses pressure. When it loses pressure, you have to send out boil water notices and send in samples to TCEQ to have them make sure the water is safe to drink again,” Belue said. During the storm they were without water for six hours, and after that, residents were under a boil water notice for 72 hours. This process occurs every time the plant loses power. “People were without safe drinking water for a while, they were without power for days, therefore they lost all of their food in their fridge,” Belue said. While they have received many donations, they are still exploring other resources that can help community members. For now, they are just trying to provide food and water to those who need it. The city received a grant three years ago to make repairs to the water supply system, however they are coming into issues and roadblocks with their contractor.