Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 8, 2012 Page: 4 of 18
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Page 4A
Thursday, Nov. 8,2012
Hefugto Olmmtu fflve&s
Letters to the editor
Contribute with
affection
Editor:
I am so glad I live in
Woodsboro, Refugio
County, Texas, America!
To have neighbors who
watch for each other; who
take time to ask impor-
tant questions; and who,
on significant matters,
organize town hall meet-
ings because they want to
know who, what, when,
where, and why; and who
then follow-up!
And also I am so thank-
ful to work with col-
leagues who care to know
how their neighbors (who
also happen to be con-
stituents) think and who
want to do the right thing
by them.
Please indulge me
to share a story which
relates to conversations
and meetings which hap-
pened this past week
regarding the issue of
Astroturf and emergency
shelter during natural
disasters.
Two years ago, I
watched rising waters
rushing past on Julia
Street in Woodsboro, next
to my house. Afraid that
they might enter into our
yard unless it stopped
raining, I decided to mon-
itor the situation from
outside rather inside of
my house, feeling it was
less stressful this way.
I put on my water
boots to see how bad it
was because I’ve been
Ilrfugiu Cnmthj Press
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Refugio Beeville
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Mail correspondence to:
P.O. Drawer 200
Refugio, Texas 78377
Jeff Latcham &
Chip Latcham,
Co-Publishers
Kenda Nelson,
Editor
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through a flood before
and the aftermath is not
pleasant. Since I had
already sloshed through
the length of our block,
I decided to slosh across
town to see how others
were faring on the east
side of town. It was bad.
My parents often said
they loved people they
met every day. Everyone
was a friend, and they
rarely met a stranger. I
didn’t comprehend this
sentiment until Sunday,
September 19, 2010, as I
moved against water up to
my ankles on 6th toward
Main Street, where the
water reached the tops of
my boots as I crossed, still
moving toward Ashby
and Chaparral, the last
streets on the east side.
Along the way, I was
moved as I looked down
streets on the east side of
town (i.e., Third, Kansas,
Guadalupe) to my left and
to my right. I passed by
houses which appeared to
literally sit in the middle
of lakes, with little creeks
streaming in between,
trying to join other fast-
er moving waters, the
waters nearly lapping at
their doorsteps.
I wondered how those
inside would leave their
homes if they had to, if
their houses began to
flood since their vehicles
appeared to be in simi-
lar situations. If the rains
continued to fall, how
would parents get their
children to school? How
would they get to work if
their cars were flooded?
How would the clean up
afterward affect them?
So many “What ifs!”
Lorraine later recalled
what one of our friends
once told her what they
did in the 50s & 60s if
school was not cancelled.
“Our mother made
sure we had a towel or
paper something for our
heads and our shoes tied
around our arms, then
she watched us walk
away in the water and
mud to school. When we
got there, everyone would
be dry and we would
be soaked, but we were
there.”
Halfway through
my “What if’ musing, I
became a bit emotional.
All I could think of, as
I looked at the scenery
around me was, “These
are my friends. I grew up
with many of them, and
their parents watched
over me. Why does this
have to happen?”
And as I sloshed
back toward home, past
Johnson Street to Locke,
down Gallia, and other
streets on the west side, I
began to see that the good
employees of the City
were stretching yellow
bands across the roads
and putting up orange
barriers to prevent cars
and trucks from turning
into flooded streets like
6th and elsewhere.
The following day,
I drove to San Antonio
in gentle rain, listening
to a discussion of C. L.
Lewis’ four definitions of
love on one of the radio
stations. C.L. Lewis was
the author who wrote The
Chronicles of Narnia and
who was also renowned
for the religious books he
wrote.
I realized, as I listened,
that the emotion I expe-
rienced the previous day
was actually the second
love defined by Lewis,
storge (pronounced stor
hay), meaning “a sense
of belonging... familiar-
ity, family and friends.”
I thought, “That’s it!
Storge! That’s what I felt
- my sense of belonging,
familiarity because many
are friends with whom I
grew up with and still
interact with.”
I had experienced that
love my parents often
spoke about. Who was to
know?
FYI, as I walked past
friends’ houses that
Sunday, a few had called
out to me, “Why doesn’t
someone do something
about this?” pointing to
debris-covered culverts.
“Why is it flooding
on my side of the street
and not the other?” And
I thought, “Yes, why
doesn’t someone do some-
thing about all this?” And
then, like Pogo, I realized
that that someone is US,
not just elected officials,
not just civic organiza-
tions, not just volunteers,
not just the churches, but
us, we, the residents of
Woodsboro.
So, how does this little
personal story relate to
the Astroturf and emer-
gency shelter issue of this
and last week?
Before Hurricane
Sandy in the northeast
of the USA, the residents
of this county have wor-
ried about the Big One,
the next Celia. It’s been
over 40 years since the
category 4 storm, but we
know we will be affected
by another big storm.
It could be next year,
maybe 10, another 40
years, but it will happen.
We used to ask, “Why
doesn’t someone do some-
thing to get ready for it?”
since shelter was not pos-
sible at the old school site.
We thought, with
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the government-fund-
ed (FEMA) and bond-
funded facility built in
Woodsboro a couple of
years ago that we had the
answer, a facility to serve
both school and shelter
functions. Regrettably,
for the past two years,
during emergency train-
ing sessions right before
hurricane season,that the
new facility cannot serve
as shelter for the popula-
tion that needs it. The
facility may be used by
first responders only.
After Hurricane Sandy,
and remembering recent
Hurricanes Rita, Katrina,
and Ike in the Gulf Coast,
I know more than ever
that our county and our
communities need to
be concerned about our
residents during times of
natural disasters, partic-
ularly during hurricane
seasons. And I applaud
Judge Mascorro for tak-
ing the leadership to get
the conversation on emer-
gency shelters going.
In hindsight, perhaps he
could have brought both
the Refugio ISD Board
and the Commissioners
Court together to present
the idea of a partnership
with Refugio ISD.
An idea of this magni-
tude could have used more
partners and it could have
used more details, includ-
ing location options, costs,
users, and public input,
before it appeared in the
paper. Whenever (once) I
spoke to the Judge about
the idea, it was always
with the understanding
that this was a first step
in securing an emergency
shelter, not the end of all
ends on the matter.
Of course, this is hind-
sight. After your article
appeared in the paper
last week, beginning at
7:30 a.m. on Thursday
and ending on Monday at
noon, I received over 150
calls, messages, and f2f
conversations about the
issue. I finally started jot-
ting the names of calls
I was receiving between
my home phone and cell
phone - 42, in all, on
Sunday evening.
All except one were
against what the callers
thought was going to be a
vote on the “Astroturf’ by
the Commissioners Court
during their special called
meeting. The callers were
from Bayside, Refugio,
and Woodsboro.
How this plan is devel-
oped is still to be deter-
mined, but rest assured,
the whole county will be
involved.
We have so many issues
in our rural county and
small communities that
do not need to wait for an
idea to begin necessary
conversation. Because we
are a rural county, all of
us are needed, are impor-
tant.
“Pogo,” for those of you
who don’t know and those
of us who still remem-
ber, was a possum in the
Okefenokee Swamp in
Georgia who appeared in
the cartoon by the same
name.
One of the comic strips
has him saying to his
friends, “We have met the
enemy and he is us.”
OK. So, how will you
contribute to calls for
action? With affection.
Ann Lopez, Ph.D.
Refugio County
Commissioner, Pet. 1
Salary is
disturbing
Editor:
I was very upset to hear
that taxpayer money is
being spent for a recep-
tionist for the local eco-
nomic development foun-
dation.
I would like to see the
qualifications of said
assistant published in the
paper along with the cur-
rent salary and benefits
being provided with tax-
payer dollars.
It is my understanding
that she makes in excess
of $48,000.1 find this quite
disturbing. What is the
board to do?
John White
Woodsboro
Questions politics,
policies
Editor:
I am a new resident of
Bayside.
As I have watched the
politics and policies of this
city I have come to notice
that there lives in the city
council an idiot who when-
ever the mayor is at work
or out of town attacks resi-
dents about work permits
and even threatens them
with “double fines” for
incomplete permits and
even sets an unreal dead-
line for these fines to be
paid.
I hope this is not the
norm. I really have enjoyed
my short time in the town.
It’s been a good experience
for me.
Thanks for listening to
my opinion.
Ed Pedraza
Bayside
Thank you
Editor:
Thank you to all who
helped in anyway with the
bake sale last week.
Your generosity and
support is greatly appreci-
ated during this time. May
God bless you all.
Leo Abila
Refugio
ESFD Winning Group Austwell-Tivoli School
THE COPANO BAY SOIL AND WATER
CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Thank, you!
2012 Earth
Science Field Day
Sponsors:
Refugio Groundwater District,
Hard Core Equipment & Supply,
HEB, Wilkinson Chevrolet, Woodsboro Farmers Cooperative,
Bayside-Richardson Coop Gin, First National Bank of Woodsboro,
Durwood Boenig, Mission River Ranch Club, Fred Fagan,
Cy Bauer, Dallas Ford, Jackson Farms
Special thanks to:
Refugio County Fair Board, Refugio County, Commissioner Gary
Bourland & Precinct 3 Employees, Christie Moses,
Monica Flores, Rachel Wilson
Presenters:
Southwest Mobile Dairy- Robert Koonce, Extension Agent - Mike
Donalson, Center for Coastal Studies- Jay Tarkington,
Texas Parks & Wildlife - Pinky Gonzales & Scott McLeod,
Will Blackwell, Sam Schiwart, Roy Robinette, Alfred Franke,
Edwin Franke, Texas Farm Bureau - Don Sugarek, David Mundine
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Nelson, Kenda. Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 8, 2012, newspaper, November 8, 2012; Refugio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth740653/m1/4/?q=b-58: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library.