Flooding severely damages Harlingen trailer parks

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Harlingen is home to more than a dozen trailer and RV parks. Many of these close-knit communities were hit hard by the recent flooding.

“The first 12 hours, we had five and a half inches, and I was so happy. Yes, we got five and a half inches; we’re lucky, and then, rain didn’t stop,” said Kim Graves, property owner's association board member.

The Lakewood Village RG Park was one of the many Harlingen trailer parks where residents endured flooded homes and damaged personal belongings.

“This is actually real wood and not particle board. But it tore it up pretty good," said Graves.

Ron Sears is a homeowner who lives in the low-lying areas of the park that was hit especially hard by the floods.

“It came in so fast, and so much. You couldn’t put it anywhere because water was everywhere. We were working until about three in the morning, and I said 'This is useless. We’re fighting a tide that can’t be won,'" said Sears.

One end of the Lakewood Village RV Park sits next to a 22-acre retention pond that overflowed its banks during last week’s flooding.

Sears said it wasn’t just the heavy rains that pushed the pond beyond its breaking point but water coming in from other areas as well.

“Not only this neighborhood, but also neighborhoods all over there on Stuart Place filter over in to here,” Sears said.

Graves said he estimates 10% of residents suffered severe flooding issues.

Those residents have either had to go stay with nearby family or take shelter at the Harlingen Convention Center.

“Get the wet carpets out, you know, suck the water out of the houses. Probably some sheetrock was torn out, and some cabinets. You know, there’s quite a bit of damage," said Graves.

Sears was trapped in his home for days because of the water covering his street. On Saturday, he and his wife decided the water had receded enough to drive away safely.

“That’s when we could finally get to the cars, that the carpets were all wet," said Sears.

He’s been taking advantage of the warm weather to keep his car doors open so the interior can dry out.  

He said he’ll probably have someone come in to tear down his walls and pull up his floors to find the extent of the damage.

He thinks it might take as long as six months for his home to be fully restored.

Both men said they’re grateful for the community support they’ve felt during these troubling times.

“We’re just a phone call away from all of our neighbors. Everybody knows everybody, so we’re pretty close in here. And we just basically take care of each other," said Graves.

“Good camaraderie among the neighbors, which is one of the things we love about this place," added Sears.