The City of Levelland and its community members continue to show their resolve following the devastating destruction brought on by Wednesday mornings storm.
Around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Levelland received large hail, heavy rain and winds reported to be between 100 and 120 miles per hour.
Homes, businesses and various structures suffered extreme damage with buildings collapsed, roofs destroyed, windows busted out, roadways and homes flooded, tree branches scattered, trees uprooted, fences knocked down, power poles broken and power lines down.
It was reported the that roughly 60% of Hockley County residents were without power and a majority residing within the city of Levelland following the storm.
With millions of dollars in damages, public safety personnel and community members continue have continued cleanup efforts since Wednesday.
Levelland and Hockley County Emergency Management Coordinator Cole Kirkland has been spearheading the entire operation and getting resources where they need to be since the storm hit the area.
“Right now, we have a lot of support, volunteers and a lot of supplies being donated including food, water and other items,” said Kirkland. “There has been a tremendous outpouring of support from the community and the region.”
Kirkland explained that they are working under the ongoing severe weather incident the entire state has been impacted by. What that means is they are tying in the damage assessments to that of the state. In turn, it’s going to be the state as a whole working towards the disaster.
Emergency response efforts have been working alongside Xcel Energy, Atmos Energy, Lamb County Electric, Spartan Transport, South Plains Community Action (SPCAA), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Texas Department of Emergency Response (TDEM), Red Cross, Petro Products, Covenant Levelland, AT&T and First Net, Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual AID 156, 157 ( TIFMAS) and Windstream.
Levelland City Manager James Fisher praised the work Kirkland has been doing since Wednesday as he implements his emergency action plan.
“He has really been on top of getting resources in place and getting an action plan put together for us to get to work,” said Fisher. Fisher also praised the city crews who have been working around the clock since the storm hit.
“City crews have pretty much responded and done what needs to be done with very little direction,” said Fisher. “They know the expectations; they know to take care of this community and they were already doing it when I got out there Wednesday morning a little before 2 a.m. The city crews were already out; they were checking city facilities. they were checking residents, and they were just doing everything necessary to protect and take care of the community.”
With the direction of Kirkland, Fisher added that all departments within the city have been able to keep working efficiently.
While no plan is perfect, Fisher explained that everyone has to learn from these things and make changes as time goes on.
“For now, fire, police, public works, parks, water, wastewater and all of them have just been humming,” said Fisher. In regard to coordinating volunteer efforts, Fisher said Mayor Breann Buxkemper and Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Stueart have been working in tandem to aid community members.
“Mayor Buxkemper and Mayor Pro-Tem Stueart came up here to the fire station Wednesday and pretty much didn’t leave,” said Fisher. “They have been here offering support. As the public, it gets dicey when we start trying to go onto private property, so they started working on efforts to work with volunteers out there.”
Fisher added that the volunteer efforts have been focused on assisting homeowners with getting their damaged roofs tarped and blown out windows boarded. Community members are also encouraged to contact 806-598-9781 or 806-598-0407. Additionally, calls can be made to City Hall at 806--894-0113 to be put in contact with the right party.
If anyone has been displaced or knows of someone in that situation, they are encouraged to contact Josiah Rangel at 806-801-3644 or email at Josiah.rangel@redcross.org.
“We’re following up and going to various homes, cleaning up debris and trying to fix roofs by patching them and doing what needs to be done,” said Fisher. “There’s been a great community response and been a great community effort, so it’s really been awesome that everybody has come together to help us get through this.
Fisher thanked the crews working with Atmos Energy and Xcel Energy.
“Their crews have been working 15-to-20-hour days of trying to get power back to residents,” said Fisher. “Unfortunately, crews were not able to get everything on within a day. I know, if I was one of those homeowners or a business, I would be upset but they have been trying their best to get everything back on.”
Not only has the Levelland community responded, but neighboring public safety agencies have also responded in kind with personnel such has Sundown, Smyer, Whiteface and others.
“Our neighboring fire departments responded immediately along with our neighboring cities responding as well,” explained Fisher. “Lubbock has been awesome in that they sent over their assistant director of emergency management to help out as well. A member of their parks crews was here Thursday along with their fire department.
Fisher added that it has been nice to see neighbors helping neighbors in a variety of capacities.
“When I walked out of this fire station Thursday morning, we saw fire service vehicles from various parts of the state that are far from us to help,” added Fisher. “It is Texans taking care of Texans. When you’ve got a situation like this and someone asks what the process is like, I tell them this is what we do. We roll up our sleeves and we go to work. We help each other and that’s what’s been good about this.”
Even though the storm was devastating, Fisher says the community of Levelland has already gotten back and is moving forward with piecing back the community. “We’re going to keep making this community even better than it was,” stated Fisher. “I am excited. I’m watching these people, and we are tired but everybody’s busting their tail.
Efforts have been made to aid community members with water, food and shelter if needed.
“We’ve had more food donated than I’ve ever seen in my entire life but that’s been good because we’re feeding the first responders, volunteers and we’ve had community people that have come for water and food,” said Fisher. “It’s been nice to see those shining lights and notice the good things that are going on.”
Fisher added that the Red Cross is here trying to help is need of various resources. He added that they are trying to figure out what resources are going to be available.
“We don’t know if we are going to qualify because there is a certain threshold that we have to meet,” said Fisher. “That’s the hard part because if you’ve lost everything, you’re asking yourself what do we do here? We’re just asking community members to work with us by letting us know what’s going on and we’ll do our best to find you some help.”
As damages are assessed and contractors and solicitors continue to make their way to homes, Fisher cautions residents to look for contractors with badges acknowledging they have been permitted by the city. “We have lot of great contractors that come in, but unfortunately when you get all those you get those that very small number that is not genuine,” explained Fisher. “Every contractor needs to register with the city along with every solicitor. If they don’t come to your door with the tag on you need let the city know.”
One of the most important tips offered by Fisher is to avoid paying cash.
“I have seen this happen in a lot of communities and it breaks my heart every time. The ones that prey on people by saying if you pay us cash, we will move you up the chain or we will get here faster. People honestly believe that that will help and then they will disappear.”
For Levelland Police Chief Albert Garcia, his retirement has been postponed until June 15 to help aid in the relief efforts moving forward.
“While my last day was supposed to be Friday, I did not feel good leaving the community in this situation,” explained Chief Garcia. “It was decided that I needed to stay put and help keep the efforts going when it comes to the public safety efforts. I know this is the right thing to do for our Levelland community members.”
As for the telecommunications side of the department, Chief Garcia explained there was only one dispatcher in place at the time of the storm. From there, it got very busy for that particular dispatcher which resulted in additional personnel responding to help dispatch between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. “It got to the point where those individuals who were enroute to offer assistance in dispatch were being stranded due to the significant flooding at the time,” said Chief Garcia. “Officers and public safety personnel worked to get those individuals out of the high water and to the dispatch center quickly.”
Chief Garcia commended his personnel for aiding those stranded because it was done quickly without complaint because they understood the importance of getting those dispatchers to the communications center immediately.
“The communications center has done a fantastic job trying to answer every call for service,” said Chief Garcia.
During that same time, the department usually has three to four officers on patrol. However, additional officers not scheduled to take the next shift within the next handful of hours were already patrolling areas and offering aid.
“Within an hour and a half we had mobilized most of the staff,” said Chief Garcia. “We had several police officers along with other staff coming to work to ensure we had enough boots on the ground to get the operation center going with Cole taking lead.”
Additionally, the officers in the area were providing security services due to so many different residents and businesses needing assistance due to windows being broken out roofs torn off. The goal for the department was to ensure the property of these individuals was secure.
“This was all in the same facet of trying to rescue as many people from their homes who experienced significant damage,” added Chief Garcia.
In terms of the operation center, Chief Garcia feels that it has been running efficiently with the resources that have been provided. “I have said it before, but when you get proficient dealing with a situation such as this it seems bad because it means we have been through major situations that cause this response,” explained Chief Garcia. “By the same token, when you have this kind of response and can manage it well, it should tell the citizens of Levelland what kind of public safety service that they have.”
Chief Garcia shared that he is extremely proud of everyone with the Levelland Police Department, Levelland Fire Department, Hockley County Sheriff’s Office and Levelland EMS.
“We have continuously come together time and time again to do a great job and a great service for the community,” said Chief Garcia. “Again, Cole has done a wonderful job. This guy has not missed a beat and has had boots on the ground immediately. He has done a phenomenal job.” While praising the public safety side of things, Chief Garcia did not forget about the community response to aid on another.
“All the response we have been getting from donations and volunteers has been nothing short of amazing,” said Chief Garcia. “We have volunteers working to tarp roofs and board windows. We have community members putting together meals for those in need along with food and water being brought in for those who need it.”
Chief Garcia commended those citizens who have opened their hearts to those in need with the community.
“That should really encourage the citizens of Levelland and Hockley County to know what kind of great people we have here in Levelland,” said Chief Garcia. “Moving forward, I know that we have boots on the ground that are going to do a phenomenal job until it is completed. There have been great efforts across the board.”