Madison County dealing with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Beryl
MADISON COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) – Madison County is picking up the pieces Tropical Storm Beryl left in its wake.
Most of Madison County is struggling with power outages after Storm Beryl.
According to the Madison County Emergency Management Coordinator, Shelly Butts, the entire county’s power was affected, leaving only one restaurant and a couple of stores open.
”We have power outages on both ends of the county and right here in the central part as well,” said Butts. “We do have a lot of power outages left, a lot of our citizens and businesses are still without power, most of them spent the night that way last night.”
On Monday, businesses were closed in downtown Madisonville and there were not that many people were walking around.
“We are working out with Entergy, and with MidSouth, and Houston County Electric Co-op to try and get that service up as soon as possible for our residents,” said Butts.
And with the July heat, First Baptist Church in Madisonville opened it’s doors to let the community cool down.
“It’s hot out there so we are just making sure there is a place for folks to come in here, charge their phones, get a drink of water, get some snacks food, or whatever, and just relax for a little bit in the cool and more importantly, just love on the community a little bit,” said Cody Culp, a Deacon at First Baptist Church Madisonville.
The cooling center is stocked with water and snacks. The church is also providing assistance to people who rely on oxygen or home medical equipment and need power and/or need to charge their phones.
SonShine Outreach Center is also open to serve county residents who are struggling after Storm Beryl by providing food, clothes, and other resources to Madison and surrounding counties.
Butts does not know when the power will be restored but she estimates it could be anywhere from one to several days until the county is back to normal.
Butts encourages the public to sign up for the STEAR program, the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry, this allows the county to know when there’s someone who has medical devices and needs power. So that when a disaster comes, the county can check on them and get them the necessary help.
