Due to the storms that occurred overnight on Wednesday, residences and businesses located close to the center of Santo were transformed into waterfront properties.
“It was like a flash flood while the rain was pouring down,” the spokesperson said. The water level rose extremely rapidly. Cyndi Smith, an emergency medical technician and spokesman for the Santo Volunteer Fire and EMS Department, stated that several individuals had informed her that they had eight inches of water running through their homes.
The Emergency Services District of Palo Pinto County provided assistance to Smith’s agency on multiple occasions. During the night, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Station 8, which was originally known as the Brazos Volunteer Fire Department, and Station 7, which was formerly known as the Lone Camp Volunteer Fire Department, all worked together to block roadways and assist those who were in need.
Smith stated that some people had very little water in their homes, while others had inches of water into their homes. It was determined that the water had reached the level of the railroad rails, and as a result, Union Pacific was contacted to halt all traffic on the tracks.
There is water up to the entrance of Tommy’s Convenience Store, which is located off Farm-to-Market Road 4, according to a video that was shared by the Santo Volunteer Fire and ambulance Department.
The manager at Tommy’s, Carol Masters, stated that her boss, Jackie Tucker, called her at approximately 12:40 in the morning and informed her that she needed to get up on account of the floods and the fact that her family was being evacuated.
The authorities have stated that the roads in the region remained closed till approximately two in the morning on Thursday.
I arrived exactly at 4:40 in the morning. Despite the fact that the majority of the water had already been pumped away, Masters stated that it was still visible down the aisles. In addition, our back room has been flooded, and there is still mud in it.
In the beginning, Tucker was under the impression that she would keep the store closed on Thursday.
Tucker stated, “It’s been a terrible day, but we manage to pull through this.” However, despite the fact that we are cleaning up all of this, you can see all of these folks. They continue to want all of their belongings. They are still in need of their beverages.
The dumpster that they had at Tommy’s was swept away by the rains and ended up in a creek that was nearby. Tucker was informed by his neighbors that the dumpster was located in the creek around one mile distant from the store.
Cody Tindol connected with Masters and Tucker on Thursday afternoon, when he was taking a break from cleaning up the debris that was scattered across his personal property. His residence was only a few steps away from the dumpster.
In an interview with NBC 5, Tindol stated, “That camper was sitting right there.” It was possible for me to walk through the creek and into the parking lot of the football field before this happened.
Currently, the creek is characterized by a powerful current that is accompanied by big tree trunks and limbs.
The water level has decreased, but there are still some cleanup measures that are in the works. It seems to be in its place. Due to the flow of water, there is a possibility that the road will sustain some damage. As a result, that will be on the county to decide,” Smith explained.
Tornadoes with an EF-0 rating slammed Santo barely one week prior to the storms that occurred on Wednesday night.
Chad Dodson provided the following statement: “We cleaned up probably two weeks’ worth of that, trees, small items, and a little bit of damage to houses, but not a whole lot.” The Precinct 4 of Palo Pinto County is where Dodson is employed. This time around, it seems as though Santo has gotten its act together for some reason or another. A deluge or a storm is on its way.”
There is debris around the walls of the maintenance shed that belongs to Precinct 4, which serves to demonstrate how more than two feet of water made its way inside, causing their refrigerator and other heavy goods to be knocked over.
All of the items that were formerly located in the shop on the west side have been relocated to the shop on the bottom side, which is set on two distinct levels. It’s a pretty nice mess inside,” Dodson remarked. “And it’s a decent mess.”
In the afternoon of Thursday, Panama Road between FM 4 and Interstate 20 and Petty Road between Farm-to-Market Road 2201 and Farm-to-Market Road 129 were both still closed. Both of these roads are located in the same general area.
