The water has receded and the Arkansas River has just about returned to its normal levels, but the damage that it left has left a daunting mess. Businesses and homes lay in ruins, furniture and belongings left in disarray by high water that came in a fury and took its sweet time to leave.
Creel Outdoors, the only bait and tackle shop in northeast Sebastian County, was hard hit by flood waters. Located east of Lavaca on Highway 96, the Creel home and business are just east of Big Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River. Their home is a total loss and it remains to be seen if the shop will be recoverable. Water only got to three feet or so in the bait shop, but merchandise, fixtures, coolers, cabinets and such, are destroyed. Air coolers for bait tanks stood in water. Important paperwork is little more than wet and soggy paper mache. Their home was covered by flood insurance but their store is not insured.
Regina Fitzgerald’s daughter and son-in-law Trina and Turkey Crawford, have lost their beautiful home in Central City. A new garage is filthy with sludge and may be recoverable. They have a GoFundMe account of Facebook to try to get help. They had no flood insurance on their property.
Brenton McKey filmed the outside of his grandfather’s house on Highway 255. You can see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-lMOgrBcnI . He filmed another one of the inside when the flood waters left. His grandparents will have to have the house completely demolished and plan to rebuild on another property on much higher ground.
Lavaca area citizens are trying to help in all kinds of different ways. The area has flooded before, but this time, it was historic. This is history we want to forget.
