Flood aid efforts continue days after storm

PHARR, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Flood aid continues in parts of the Rio Grande Valley where many people were affected. Hundreds of vehicles lined up at Jones Box Park on Wednesday to receive meals to take home.

City of Pharr Emergency Management Coordinator Danny Ramirez said flood aid will continue for the next few days before they head into long-term recovery efforts.

"We're trying to get the community back to normal as soon as possible," Ramirez said. "We understand that we're still in the recovery phase. It is going to take time, but we're there to support the community."

Community members are grateful for the assistance being offered, while organizations said this is the first to come in a long line of help.

"We are very grateful to all the people who gathered to give us this support, and may God multiply this for them," said resident Jesus Chavez.

Residents like Chavez are grateful for the help, while others say last week's storm was something they had never experienced.

"I had never seen anything like this, I had never saw so much water like this," said Ofelia Martinez.

Others like Martha Mendoza are grateful for continued help as they explain the ordeals they faced.

"Suddenly, it came down so hard that I couldn't pick up my grandson from work," Mendoza said. "They gave him a ride as far as they could, and then he had to walk home because the water reached up to his knees."

Chavez said his family could not use the restroom during the storm as the water clogged the restrooms. "The water in the toilet rose, and we couldn’t go to the restroom because everything came up. In both bathrooms, we had to put clothing so the water wouldn’t come out."

The Salvation Army of McAllen Commanding Officer, Major Franky Zuniga, said the goal right now is to help with the essentials.

“In the immediate need after a storm like this is just being able to provide a meal," Zuniga said. "We've been providing meals every single day to the people that need it. They come by while supplies last, they're able to get that."

Close to 700 meals were provided to Pharr residents as lines of cars extended for several blocks. Similar events also happened in Mercedes, Elsa, Donna, and Willacy County.

Outside help and long-term recovery efforts are also considered, with help coming from Kerrville, San Antonio, and even New Braunfels.

“Eventually, if there is a need for us to be able to provide vouchers for clothing or anything like that, or household items, we will do so, which it helps us be enabled to again, get people back on their feet and be able to see that still, there's hope out there for them, even though they have lost everything," Zuniga said.

The City of Pharr says that the community can also help by reporting any damages in their homes through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT). This can help the city get more funding and assistance.

"You can take up to 10 pictures and submit them," Ramirez said. "It also asks you if you need help cleaning your house out. With that information, the state can send those resources down to support us."

Ramirez said only 700 people have used the iSTAT tool. People can access the link to report their home damages via the following link.

People can also assist the Salvation Army of McAllen with monetary donations and volunteering.