La Grange preps for hurricane season after working to recover from Harvey

La Grange was one of the areas in Central Texas impacted by Hurricane Harvey last year. 

Many homes including mobile home parks, houses near the Colorado River were destroyed.

Kenny Couch who’s the Executive Director for the Fayette Co. Disaster Recovery Team says there’s been a lot of nervousness in the air recently. “This hurricane impacted and touched a lot of families and kids. We still have a lot of kids who when it rains you can tell they get nervous. Especially here in La Grange we have some low lying areas, we have a 90 degree turn in the river and when it started raining it really didn't stop and it ended up reaching its 3rd highest recorded level. It impacted 803 households registered for FEMA here in the county."

The Fayette County Disaster Recovery Team started shortly after, with volunteers like Kenny Couch, and Tina Croley.

“I think it's important to note while Hurricane Harvey may be long gone almost 10 months into Hurricane Harvey’s disappearance, we are just now getting folks to move back home,” Croley says.

Their team helps find disaster victims shelter, clean up their homes, handle donations, meals and transportation, and work to assist in the rebuilding process, funded by donations and grants. 

He says right now since hurricane season just started, most people are calling to ask if they'll be prepared for another situation like last year. “Easily 100 families are either in hotels or motels, they're staying with friends and families. We have people who are renting that's too expensive so they're rent burdened which is a big stress on a family that just lost everything,” Couch adds.

The Fayette County Disaster Team says each case gives them mixed emotions, but today was the feeling of hope. Lance Solomon has lived in La Grange for 39 years. He lost his home last year, and on Wednesday he signed off on an SBA loan that was recently approved, so he can move into his new mobile home next month.

“I get real emotional to think back on it. Once you've been through it, and of course I never want to go through it again you start all over and you become complacent,” Solomon adds.

Right now the nonprofit is working on Hope Hill.

It’s a three year project to help relocate families permanently out of the flood plan.