Karnes Co. TX - NEWS - Claudette Hurricane July 2003 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm Antell Copyright. All rights reserved. http://files.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 Victoria Advocate Online (http://victoriaadvocate.com) Claudette's winds clocked at 92 mph in Karnes County July 18, 2003 ANN RUNDLE Victoria Advocate KARNES COUNTY - An afternoon shower Thursday didn't stop Jimmy Hollan of Kenedy from swinging a sledge-hammer to break up pieces of fiberglass that once were his backyard fence. Hurricane Claudette knocked down some of Hollan's fiberglass and cement fence when it blew through Karnes County Tuesday afternoon with wind speeds clocked at 92 miles an hour at the weather station at the Hercules Training Center in Kenedy. The emergency operation center was set up at the weather station Tuesday, said Sylvia Cortez, the assistant emergency management coordinator for the county. Of the wind speed, she said, "I'm sure that's wind gusts, but that's pretty powerful." It was strong enough to knock down huge trees and snap off large branches, some of which fell onto homes and punched holes in roofs or fell onto power lines, causing outages. It was enough to snap utility poles in two, rip tin off of buildings, blow shingles off roofs, shatter windows and knock down street signs. "We had a substantial amount of damage in Karnes City and Kenedy, and we had some damage also in Falls City and Runge," Karnes County Sheriff Bobby Mutz said. Mutz said the sheriff's department had unconfirmed reports of twisters in Kenedy and Karnes City. "Looking at some of the damage that was done in some of the areas, it was very possible that we had a twister that touched down out of the clouds," he said. Minnie Rodriguez's roof was damaged when a huge branch from a hackberry tree fell on the back of her house on Dailey Street in Kenedy. "It just cracked and fell over and just put a hole in it," she said. Roofs also were damaged along Howard Street in Runge. "The wind was blowing from the east, and all these houses on this side really had a lot of roof damage," Roberson said as he drove a pickup through town Thursday afternoon. "And these, supposedly, are the best houses in town. "It didn't discriminate against anyone," he said of the wind, which also peeled the tin off the front of R&R Bar B Que in Runge and the tin atop the shingled roof of the gazebo in the city's park. Roberson estimated about 25 Runge homes had roof damage. And, he said, "I think every tree in Runge had some damage." But Roberson said, "No one's hurt. And, really, as far as houses completely destroyed, there's nothing like that. That's a blessing." Ann Rundle is a reporter for the Victoria Advocate. Contact her at 361-277-6319 or by e-mail at cueroadv@txcr.net. ---------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 Victoria Advocate Online (http://victoriaadvocate.com) Kenedy apartment dwellers need ceilings, places to live July 26, 2003 BARRY HALVORSON Victoria Advocate KENEDY - Leaking roofs and collapsed ceilings in the wake of Hurricane Claudette have some residents of the Town Oaks Apartments looking for new places to live while the ownership of the complex is looking for ways to fix the damage. Kenedy Mayor Randy Garza estimated that the high winds and rain impacted 20 to 25 units at the complex which provides Section 8, or subsidized, housing for low-income families through the United States Department of Agriculture. Richard Hampton, with Town and Country Management, which manages the privately-owned apartments, said that based on his company's own assessment of the situation, ceilings collapsed in only six of the 48 units at the property and that two others did receive some damage due to leaks. Housing and Urban Development Field Office Director Luz Day of the San Antonio office said that she was unaware of the situation in Kenedy until Friday and has taken steps to address the needs of those who need to relocate. "We have asked the Southwest Compliance Corporation of Austin to get in touch with the families that have been affected to help them find suitable housing in the nearby communities until the apartments are repaired," Day said. Day said the contact person with Southwest Housing Compliance Corporation is Suzane Cowper and she can be reached at 512-474-5332. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hampton said that he was familiar with Southwest Compliance and has worked with them in the past in regard to management questions regarding Section 8 housing management regulations. He said that he was not aware of the relocation assistance program and would be contacting the company on Monday to get any necessary details. In the meantime, the city of Kenedy has been attempting to help. "Right after the storm, there were a large number of apartments that were damaged," Garza said. "Several ceilings had collapsed and there was a lot of damage to the carpets and furniture in the apartments. The management company came in and did a temporary fix putting tarps over the roofs and trying to sweep out as much water as possible. But the carpets in some never dried out properly and when I walked in them later, most were extremely smelly." Garza said that the city made arrangements for immediate relocation of some of the residents, but the city is running out of space. One of the residents hoping to leave was Joann Perez. After making several trips to drop off furniture and family items at a new location, she learned that there were problems and she would have to stay for at least a little while longer. Perez said that with the help of her neighbors, she was able to remove the debris from the ceiling and that the management company later provided blowers and dehumidifiers to try to dry things out. "But it hasn't helped that much," she said. "We've still got mold growing in the ceilings and I think that it has triggered my daughter's asthma problems. The Red Cross has been helpful in trying to find us a new place to live and some financial assistance such as rent and utility deposits. They've also brought in meals for the residents and cleaning supplies. And Mayor Garza has been doing everything he can. He's been the best. But we still have problems." Hampton said that his company has a limited number of options. His firm has been hired only to manage the property, which is owned by a limited partnership group, Town Oaks of Kenedy, of which the general partner is the Austin-based company Double K Corporation. "We are responding as quickly as we can to a situation like this," he said. "But we've had some crisis situations like this in the past and our experience has been there are no government resources available for temporary housing. It is also something the insurance companies do not provide for." He added that in providing the equipment to dry out the apartments, his company has already incurred an expense of its own and can only hope it will be reimbursed. "That was in part to address potential health issues," he said. Hampton said that employees from other properties managed by the company were brought in soon after the natural disaster to secure tarps on the roofs to prevent any additional weather related problems. "The big thing is that we have to deal with the insurance companies before we can start permanent repairs," he said. "There are a number of rules and restrictions placed on the management of complexes like this and as a result it takes a long time to build up the reserves necessary to deal with a problem like we have in Kenedy." He said the company hopes to receive an offer from the insurance companies in the next few days and then can get started on the work. Garza said that he has approached the company about making a contribution to help the residents on a temporary basis meet other needs, such as food and replacing lost goods. He said that another group has offered a funding match program but that he did not get a response from the management group. Hampton said that request was delayed with the owner of the general partner being unavailable since before the storm, but that he has made such a request. Hampton said his firm is also addressing how to handle making repairs while apartments are still being occupied. "We're looking at several alternatives," he said. "We have a couple that are vacant where we can temporarily house people. But that could delay making the repairs. Another possibility is to ask the tenants to leave for a day to allow workers to get inside and make the repairs to the ceilings. Whatever we decide, we are hoping to be able to have everyone in agreement with the plan." Barry Halvorson is a reporter for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-798-3888 or by e-mail at hvilladv@txcr.net.