Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice provided an update on the current state of the Flood Recovery in our area.
Dalton spoke of a "reimagine" theme for the Kerrville area, to visualize what we will become in the months and years ahead. The community has been involved in three broad categories of challenges, including Rescue and Recovery, Economic Recovery and Debris Management. There have been over 2,000 personnel involved in the recovery, 18,000 volunteers and 130,000 hours of service.
The water treatment plant intake equipment was dammaged, so the City of Kerrville is relying on Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells for our water supply. Repairs are expected to take several weeks. There have been discussions about possibly draining Nimitz Lake for recovery efforts, but no decisions have been made at this point.
Dalton indicated that natural disasters usually set communities back five to ten years, and future budgets of our local government entities will likely be affected. There will be many discussions about rebuilding in flood prone areas, with private property and public safety debated in future policy decisions.
Rotary Grants
Kristi Shepherd has been leading an effort for Rotary grant applications to assist in the flood recovery process. Kristi has contacted several local volunteer fire departments to see what their most pressing needs are, and is in the process of writing grant applications to fulfill those needs. Items could include ATVs, specialty equipment clothing , boots and washers and dryers.