NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, Texas — Nacogdoches County Judge Greg Sowell signed a disaster declaration Monday afternoon after Tropical Storm Beryl left behind damaged homes and businesses along with downed utility lines and trees.
Sowell signed the declaration after reports of damage in the northern part of the county. The National Weather Service also spent time on Tuesday surveying damage that the storm caused.
According to the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office, the area of U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 259 between the city of Appleby and the Mahl community saw the most severe damage. One person had a minor injury when windows in the car they were in shattered, causing a laceration, Monday afternoon. They refused emergency medical treatment.
For many residents like Carolyn Simon, their hope is to recover from this storm as soon as they can.
"I don’t know what I thought it was, I thought that a tree had fallen on my house. It was horrible, there was a loud noise. My son came running to me and I was running to him and then it just stopped," Simon said of the tornado-warned storm that went through the Appleby and Mahl communities. "Never been through anything like this in my life."
Her house suffered damage to part of the roof as water leaked through. And as of Tuesday evening, she was still without power.
"I have to wait until my insides are dry before they can do anything with my electricity," she said.
And just yards away from her home is her cousin’s house was destroyed.
"I just panicked and took off running because I didn’t want him to be trapped in there," Simon said. "His house is a total loss, and these are our family homes. My mom died three years ago and she gave the house to me and it’s like all of my childhood was taken within two seconds."
One business in the 14000 block of U.S. 59 saw major damage to one building and another building destroyed. Several homes around County Roads 125, 118, 116 and 111 suffered extensive damage, the sheriff's office said.
"When you get out there and you really see where these winds went through and were knocking down mature trees and large trees, breaking them in half and toppling them completely," Tim Monzingo, Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, said of the storm damage.
He added that damage in Nacogdoches County is greater than what local officials can handle on their own.
Despite all the damage seen across the county, many in the community are thankful to be alive.
"Thankful to God that he watched over us because it could’ve been worse," Simon said.
Texas A&M Task Force One, a statewide urban search and rescue team, has been stationed in Nacogdoches County since Monday night. They’ve been traveling around the state over the last 48 hours. So far, they haven’t made any rescues in the county, but will stay as long as they need to.
Non-emergency lines for the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office and the Nacogdoches Police Department have been restored. NCSO also heard reports of grass and tree fires sparked by the storm.
Residents whose homes or businesses suffered damage as a result of Tropical Storm Beryl should submit a report to the Texas Division of Emergency Management at damage.tdem.texas.gov.