Latest / Austin Signal / After floods devastated Sandy Creek, new nonprofit aims to provide relief faster

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After floods devastated Sandy Creek, new nonprofit aims to provide relief faster · Austin Signal

0:08
But it'll be one year tomorrow since
0:10
torrential rains covered the whole
0:11
country and central Texas,
0:13
leading to catastrophic flooding and
0:15
the deaths of at least 130 people.
0:17
The neighborhood of Sandy Creek in
0:19
northwest Travis County is still
0:20
deep in recovery mode.
0:22
We'll tell you about a nonprofit
0:23
that's lending a hand.
0:25
And tomorrow also marks one week
0:26
since Venezuela was rocked by
0:27
devastating earthquakes and the
0:29
death toll continues rising.
0:31
Far on the other side of the
0:32
equator, central Texans are
0:33
mobilizing to help out in whatever
0:35
way possible.
0:36
We're going to take you to one of
0:37
those efforts that's on today's
0:39
show.
0:39
The Austin Signal is a production
0:41
of KUT News, hosted by
0:43
Jerry Quijano.
0:44
And are you planning a Barton
0:46
Springs visit this weekend?
0:47
If so, are you tiptoeing in or
0:49
diving head first?
0:51
Our ATXplained project jumps into
0:53
the question. We've got the answer
0:54
coming up next.
0:55
That's here on Austin Signal.
1:07
Howdy out there, this is Austin
1:10
Signal, it is Friday, July
1:11
3rd. I'm your host Jerry Quijano,
1:14
thank you for spending part of the
1:15
day with us on KUT
1:17
News.
1:18
One year ago, torrential rains
1:20
covered the hill country and central
1:22
Texas, leading to catastrophic
1:24
flooding and the deaths of at least
1:26
130 people.
1:28
The neighborhood of Sandy Creek in
1:29
northwest Travis County was hit
1:31
hard, and the neighborhood is
1:33
still deep in recovery mode.
1:35
But a new non-profit is helping
1:37
to speed things up.
1:39
KUT's Katie McAfee has the
1:41
story.
1:42
Brandy Gerstner knew her home in
1:43
Northwest Travis County needed work
1:45
when she moved in 36 years ago.
1:47
We had rattlesnakes in the
1:49
house, scorpions in the house,
1:51
tarantulas in the house.
1:53
The grass was taller than I was.
1:55
But she saw potential.
1:57
Gerstner was never much of a city
1:58
gal, and the double wide was in an
2:00
ideal location, surrounded by
2:02
the big Sandy Creek and covered by a
2:04
thick canopy of trees.
2:05
I thought, you know, I can make this
2:07
pretty. She planted orchards,
2:09
herb gardens, and started raising
2:10
livestock.
2:11
But last year, her decades of work
2:13
were swept away in one night as
2:15
floodwaters ravaged the
2:16
neighborhood.
2:17
One year later, she still hasn't
2:19
been able to rebuild her home.
2:21
Gerstener is currently staying in a
2:22
camper on the property.
2:24
She says it's been difficult
2:25
negotiating with her insurance
2:26
provider and the Federal Emergency
2:28
Management Agency.
2:29
You've lost everything and
2:32
all these entities are wanting
2:34
proof of your
2:36
address, proof of
2:38
what you pay for your bills,
2:40
bank numbers, they want so much
2:42
information.
2:43
Her experience inspired
2:45
her to co-found a new nonprofit,
2:47
the Travis County Recovery Alliance.
2:49
The TCRA will connect people
2:50
affected by disasters with long-term
2:52
aid, like housing and financial
2:54
assistance.
2:55
The group has partnered with 17
2:56
organizations that can provide
2:58
assistance for folks when insurance
2:59
companies or governmental
3:01
organizations fall short.
3:02
TCRA's executive director Janice
3:04
Bookout hopes the nonprofit will
3:06
help people make meaningful progress
3:07
rebuilding their homes in Sandy
3:09
Creek. She's noticed dozens
3:11
of families like Gerstner
3:12
struggling.
3:13
Even after getting some governmental
3:14
assistance.
3:15
FEMA only provides a percentage.
3:17
That's just the way FEMA works.
3:19
It's not designed to make people
3:20
whole, to make households whole.
3:22
And there's a lot of people that get
3:23
left out on the basis of
3:24
eligibility.
3:25
Bookout says recovery for families
3:27
has also been delayed because
3:28
there's a lot of red tape to cut
3:30
through. People have lost important
3:32
paperwork, don't have flood
3:33
insurance, or need a permit to
3:35
rebuild their homes.
3:36
There's a lot of folks that need an
3:37
RV replacement so they can go back
3:39
to living where they were, you know?
3:42
But sometimes those are borrowed or
3:44
inherited or like the title
3:46
never changed over.
3:47
Bookout says her main focus is
3:49
helping people in Sandy Creek
3:50
recover.
3:51
But if another disaster strikes,
3:52
she says TCRA will be ready to
3:54
respond on day one.
3:56
She says the group will help
3:57
designate a central location for
3:59
people to meet, coordinate volunteer
4:00
services, and connect residents with
4:02
long-term recovery resources.
4:04
The TCRA, will respond to natural
4:06
disasters like floods and wildfires,
4:08
but it could also help folks during
4:10
less visible emergencies.
4:12
Bookout, says a group like this one
4:14
could have been helpful in 2022.
4:16
When residents grappled with a
4:17
nationwide baby formula shortage.
4:20
Her vision is sharply different from
4:21
the way recovery operations looked
4:23
last year in Sandy Creek.
4:25
Immediately after the flood, Brandi
4:27
Gerstner says many residents
4:28
coordinated their own volunteer
4:29
services.
4:30
There was no government entities
4:32
out here.
4:33
There was not county,
4:35
state, federal, anybody out here
4:37
in the beginning.
4:38
It was literally neighbors
4:40
helping.
4:41
Looking back, Travis County Judge
4:43
Andy Brown wishes the county
4:44
deployed some resources to the area
4:46
faster, but he says legal
4:48
requirements slowed the process
4:49
down.
4:50
We have to follow all sorts of laws.
4:52
When we're under a declared
4:53
disaster, it does help things go
4:55
faster, but we still have to sign
4:57
agreements with anyone doing
4:58
anything really, because we don't
4:59
want somebody out there that
5:01
is gonna harm people or
5:03
steal from people.
5:04
But Brown says with just one
5:06
umbrella organization to sign off
5:08
on, it'll be easier for the county
5:10
to send out resources to a community
5:11
the next time a disaster hits.
5:14
I'm Katie McAfee in Austin.
5:21
Tomorrow also marks one week
5:23
since Venezuela was rocked by
5:25
devastating earthquakes.
5:27
The death toll there is more than
5:28
2,500 and continues rising.
5:31
And though this disaster is on the
5:33
opposite side of the equator,
5:35
Central Texans,
5:37
that is, are mobilizing to provide
5:39
humanitarian relief.
5:40
QUT's Gabriel Velasquez-Nera
5:43
has the story.
5:50
We are currently standing at the
5:51
Plaza de Toros R13, a
5:53
Mexican-owned venue in southeast
5:55
Travis County.
5:56
And you're listening to volunteers
5:57
from the Austin Venezuelan
5:59
Association.
6:00
The Mexico vs.
6:01
Ecuador World Cup game is about to
6:03
start, and the organization is
6:05
partnering with Spanish-language
6:06
radio station 107.7,
6:09
La CETA, to try to raise funds.
6:12
Volunteers are asking for donations,
6:13
and they're pitching it as a good
6:14
luck charm for the upcoming game.
6:16
How many balls do we
6:18
have here?
6:20
How many? Five!
6:24
At the same time, Mexican radio host
6:26
Jaime Zapatero, known as
6:28
El Pato, urges his followers
6:30
online to come to the game and
6:32
donate.
6:37
In late June, Venezuela had
6:38
back-to-back earthquakes, with a
6:40
magnitude more than seven.
6:42
According to reports from NPR, more
6:44
than 2,000 people are dead and
6:46
11,000 are injured.
6:48
It's led to a mobilization of the
6:49
Latino community in Austin.
6:51
Pato says once they asked him to
6:53
help, it was all hands on deck.
6:55
And the truth is, we said,
6:57
let's help.
6:58
We're ready to help.
6:59
And that's why, on the weekend,
7:02
Sunday, they asked
7:04
me if I could put on the trailer to
7:06
transport everything.
7:07
I said, of course, there it is.
7:08
The trailer is yours.
7:09
Let's do what we have to do.
7:11
Let's go to the Pachuca people.
7:12
After the disaster, the Austin
7:14
Venezuelan Association began
7:15
organizing local donation drives,
7:17
with business owners and volunteers
7:19
giving time and resources to
7:21
help in any way they can.
7:23
Just last weekend, they raised 70
7:25
pallets worth of donations,
7:26
according to the director of the
7:27
organization, Elizabeth Gunz.
7:29
We're very grateful to everybody.
7:31
On Sunday, we had Peruvians, we have
7:33
Mexicans, we have people from the
7:35
United States, Italians,
7:38
name it. I mean, a lot of people has
7:40
helped out a lot, and
7:42
we're very, very grateful.
7:45
The donations are still going
7:46
strong.
7:47
At the Plaza de Toros R13,
7:49
El Cestrada dropped off donations
7:51
including food, medicine, and
7:53
dog food.
7:57
She said may God help them and she
7:59
hopes people donate.
8:00
They want to put a grain of sand to
8:02
help them.
8:04
One business helping is Shermoo,
8:05
a moving company.
8:07
Jose Mata, the owner, says he cried
8:09
for three days after hearing the
8:11
news.
8:12
Mata paused his company's operations
8:13
and is lending its warehouse to
8:15
help with donations.
8:16
It has some impact in the
8:18
business but we
8:20
basically we don't care and it
8:22
is nothing compared with the
8:24
impact that the
8:26
earthquake had in
8:28
Venezuela.
8:29
Inside the warehouse, there are
8:30
about 20 volunteers.
8:32
All the goods that are sorted,
8:33
packaged, and wrapped will be sent
8:35
to Miami, where they will make their
8:36
way to Venezuela, according to
8:38
Matan.
8:38
We don't know each other, and this
8:40
is my warehouse, but every day I
8:41
have 20, 30, 40 people just
8:44
helping out and, you know,
8:46
making sure that this helps
8:48
all the aid goes.
8:49
To the right place.
8:51
You can help by donating to the
8:52
organization's GoFundMe or find
8:53
details on volunteer opportunities
8:55
by visiting the Austin Venezuelan
8:57
Association's website and social
8:59
media pages.
9:00
I'm Gabriel Velazquez-Nera in
9:02
Austin.
9:04
And a few headlines for your day.
9:06
A couple of Austin streets look a
9:07
bit different today.
9:09
City crews paved over the Texas
9:11
mural on Guadalupe Street by UT's
9:13
West Mall and the Black Artists
9:15
Matter mural on East 11th Street
9:16
that was yesterday.
9:18
The state ordered the city to remove
9:19
the art or else face losing
9:21
federal transportation funds.
9:24
Austin City Council has recommended
9:25
consulting firm Public Works LLC
9:27
to conduct an efficiency audit of
9:29
municipal departments.
9:31
This comes as the city faces a $122
9:34
million budget deficit.
9:36
Council will vote later this month
9:37
on whether or not to hire the
9:39
firm.
9:40
And gas prices have jumped ahead of
9:41
this 4th of July weekend.
9:43
AAA Texas reports the average price
9:44
for a gallon of regular in the
9:45
Austin area is $3.37.
9:49
That's up 16 cents from yesterday.
9:51
We've got more Austin Signal after
9:53
this break.
9:59
Welcome back, this is Austin
10:01
Signal.
10:02
The final round of 32 matchups
10:04
in this year's World Cup take place
10:06
today. The host countries have all
10:08
advanced past the first knockout
10:09
stage of this year expanded
10:11
tournament field.
10:12
Canada will face Morocco tomorrow in
10:15
Houston.
10:15
Mexico will face England in Mexico
10:17
City, that's on Sunday night.
10:19
And the United States will face
10:20
Belgium on Monday.
10:22
Let's hear from KUT's Jimmy Moss
10:24
about the teams that'll be rounding
10:26
out the field of 16.
10:28
Lionel Messi returns to the pitch
10:30
with defending champs Argentina as
10:32
they face Cape Verde.
10:34
Seemingly everyone's favorite
10:35
Cinderella, Cape Verdes has already
10:37
made history just reaching the
10:39
knockout stage, but stopping Messi
10:41
in what may be his World Cup swan
10:42
song is a tall order.
10:45
But first, Australia takes on Mosala
10:47
and his Egypt squad, neither country
10:49
has ever won a playoff
10:51
game at the World Cup.
10:52
Then later, Columbia and
10:54
Ghana tangle in Kansas City.
10:56
The Nightcap will feature two teams
10:57
with dangerous attacking talent.
10:59
In Thursday's action, Spain finally
11:02
shook off years of knockout round
11:03
frustration, picking up their first
11:05
World Cup playoff win since 2010.
11:07
Mikhail Oyatharbov scored two goals
11:09
on the way to a comfortable three
11:11
nil win in Inglewood.
11:12
Then the match of the day, Croatia
11:14
and Portugal.
11:15
Croatia led one nil in the second
11:17
half before Cristiano Ronaldo scored
11:19
with a penalty kick to tie the
11:21
game, his first ever World Cup
11:22
knockout goal.
11:23
Gonzalo Ramos then broke hearts in
11:25
Toronto with a stoppage time header
11:27
to go ahead 2-1.
11:29
Croatia thought they'd equalize just
11:31
a few minutes later, but a
11:33
video review denied the goal for
11:35
offside, sparking fan frustration,
11:37
and objects were thrown onto the
11:39
Toronto pitch.
11:40
It was also likely the final World
11:42
Cup appearance for 40-year-old Luka
11:44
Modrić.
11:45
Portugal now moves on to face Spain
11:47
in the round of 16.
11:49
And late last night, Switzerland
11:51
beat Algeria 2-0 in Vancouver.
11:53
I'm Jimmy Moss.
11:57
Howdy podcast listeners, we can't
11:59
include our segment this week in
12:00
Texas Music History in this podcast
12:03
because of music streaming rights,
12:04
but if you want to keep up with
12:06
Texas Music History, and we know
12:08
you do, not to worry, just
12:09
head on over to KUTX.org.
12:14
We haven't yet hit the triple-digit
12:16
mark in temperatures around here,
12:17
but it's still shaping up to be a
12:19
scorcher of a 4th of July for Austin
12:21
and Central Texas.
12:22
That's not uncommon, of course, and
12:24
thankfully we have enough bodies of
12:26
water to find a cool place to chill
12:27
out.
12:28
There is one pool in Austin, though,
12:30
that's much more chill than the
12:31
others, and that's raised a question
12:33
among Austinites and visitors alike.
12:35
What is the best way to get into
12:37
Barton Springs?
12:38
Do you dive right in, or do you ease
12:40
on in?
12:41
Well, we got this question a while
12:43
back for our ATXplained project.
12:45
KUT's Matt Largie has the story.
12:48
So you might want to take a dip in
12:49
Barton Springs or something like
12:51
that. That pool is a constant
12:53
70 degrees.
12:54
It's refreshing on a hot day, at
12:56
least after you get over the shock
12:57
of getting in.
12:58
And that was on the mind of Susan
13:00
Summers-Willett, who asked a
13:01
question about Barton's Springs for
13:03
A to Explain.
13:04
What method is the best
13:05
way to get into
13:07
the icy waters of Barton Springs.
13:10
Do you think we're going to come to
13:11
a definitive conclusion here?
13:14
I don't know, because people have
13:15
strong opinions about this.
13:17
People do have opinions, but maybe
13:19
it's about more than that.
13:20
I've always wondered about this
13:22
question just in terms of
13:24
science and physics and biology.
13:26
Yeah, cause it's not like a straight
13:27
up personal preference thing.
13:29
It seems like there's a real
13:30
scientific answer here, maybe.
13:31
Right, but your personal preference
13:33
definitely influences your
13:35
experience of
13:37
getting into the pool.
13:39
You know, there's the science and
13:40
then there's a psychology.
13:41
Does science hold the answer to
13:43
a less uncomfortable entry into
13:45
70 degree water?
13:47
Or is it simply about mind over
13:48
body? Man, this is...
13:50
So deep.
13:51
It really is.
13:53
I mean it like touches on
13:55
all the big areas of
13:57
life. Physics,
13:59
psychology,
14:01
sociology, friendships,
14:03
pain tolerance.
14:05
It's a lot.
14:06
Let's get into this.
14:12
Ok, so what are our options for
14:14
getting in the pool?
14:14
There are two main methods
14:16
for getting into the pool.
14:18
One is the jump
14:20
in and dive for 30 seconds method
14:22
because you feel like you're dying.
14:24
Jeez, yeah, that sounds horrible.
14:26
And the other method is
14:28
what my friend Austin calls
14:30
the slow march toward
14:32
frigid truth.
14:39
We'll march toward that frigid truth
14:41
in a minute, but Susan prefers to
14:43
just jump in.
14:44
When you jump in, you just feel it
14:45
all at once.
14:46
So we head down to the deep end.
14:48
We find an empty space in the water.
14:49
Susan steps to the edge,
14:52
and she just kind of stands there.
14:54
What are you thinking about?
14:56
When you're standing on the edge of
14:56
the pool.
14:57
I look at all the people in
14:59
the pool, and I
15:01
think about how much fun they're
15:03
having. You know, like, I just
15:04
think, you know, I want to be like
15:06
that person.
15:08
I don't know, you look down at the
15:09
water and what are the sensations
15:11
that you imagine?
15:13
Thousands of knives stabbing
15:15
your body.
15:18
She stands there for another minute,
15:20
and then.
15:21
Three, two,
15:25
one.
15:29
Susan comes up looking shocked.
15:32
She's clearly uncomfortable.
15:33
Woo,
15:36
Lord!
15:37
Before we go any further, let's back
15:39
it up.
15:41
So what's actually happening to your
15:43
body when you jump into Barton
15:44
Springs? Let's listen to Susan's
15:46
jump again with help from Dr.
15:48
Christopher Zeibel.
15:49
He's the medical director of the
15:50
emergency department at Delceit
15:52
Medical Center.
15:53
Remember that you're 98 degrees,
15:55
and so 70 degrees is almost 30
15:57
degrees away from where you are.
15:59
Three, two,
16:03
one.
16:05
The first thing that happens is you
16:07
feel that shock to the system,
16:09
arteries and veins in your skin will
16:10
immediately constrict, things
16:12
will also stiffen up,
16:14
the heart rate slows down and the
16:16
blood pressure falls a little bit.
16:18
It's still cold.
16:20
Designed to help protect people
16:22
from lots and lots of activity
16:24
that would create currents that
16:26
would wash away your body heat.
16:31
At this point you might be saying,
16:32
but Matt, 70 degrees isn't
16:34
that cold.
16:35
70 degrees is actually quite
16:36
comfortable. Room temperature is
16:37
like 72 or something like that.
16:39
Well, the thing is, water is
16:41
a much better conductor of heat than
16:43
air.
16:44
So when you get down into the water,
16:46
your body heat will float
16:48
through the water away from your
16:49
body much better than it does in the
16:51
air. So your body being 98
16:53
degrees, the water being 70 degrees,
16:55
that's a very steep gradient
16:57
through which the heat will leave
16:59
your body very quickly.
17:00
That's gonna happen no matter how
17:01
you get in. So, let's check out
17:03
another way.
17:04
Could I get you to introduce
17:05
yourself?
17:07
Tracy McCasker.
17:09
Alright, you live here in Austin?
17:10
I do live here. I've been here about
17:11
20 years.
17:12
You've been coming to Barton Springs
17:13
all that time?
17:14
Um, when I can, yeah.
17:15
I found Tracy near the shallow end
17:17
of the pool, about to get in.
17:19
She doesn't always get in down here,
17:20
she likes to mix it up.
17:21
So it's different every time,
17:22
sometimes you use the stairs,
17:23
sometimes you jump right in, what do
17:25
you do?
17:25
I think it's just the mood and how
17:27
you're feeling about it.
17:28
How are you feeling today?
17:29
Slow entry,
17:32
very slow entry today.
17:35
Tracy stands at the top of the
17:36
stairs at the shallowest part of the
17:37
pool. I ask her to count the steps
17:39
down.
17:40
Okay, one,
17:42
two, three.
17:44
Four, five,
17:46
six. She tenses up.
17:49
Ha, cold seven and
17:50
eight.
17:51
Arteries and veins contracting,
17:53
blood pressure definitely falling.
17:55
It's very slippery.
17:57
Okay, I'm gonna I'm going
17:59
to drop it
18:03
Okay, ready?
18:08
Oh, it's so cold,
18:10
so cold.
18:12
There are other options,
18:14
like the ramp, where I find Andrew
18:16
Feenstra. It's going to be slow
18:18
and probably a little painful.
18:19
Perfect. That's why we're here.
18:21
We'll work through it.
18:22
He starts down the ramp.
18:23
So yeah, this is where you gotta
18:24
kinda hurry into the water cause
18:26
your feet are starting to burn a
18:27
little bit.
18:29
Last thing you wanna do is slip and
18:30
fall in front of everybody.
18:34
Then you burn your hand on the rail
18:35
as you go.
18:38
Oh, it's cold. It's always cold.
18:39
We're about to get to the worst part
18:40
right now too.
18:42
Woo, woo, my
18:44
voice gets a little higher.
18:46
This is where we just gotta, we just
18:47
got to get in.
18:50
Okay, one more, the buddy system.
18:52
Sometimes it helps if you've got a
18:53
friend that's counting on you to
18:54
jump when they jump.
18:56
I find two girls on the edge of the
18:58
deep end.
18:58
I don't want to jump in and
19:00
then you don't jump in with me.
19:05
She might be pushing you.
19:06
This is me. Ready?
19:07
Wait, we've been at this for like 15
19:09
minutes. No, it's been like-
19:11
You've been at this for 15 minutes?
19:12
No, it's been five.
19:14
It's been 5 minutes.
19:15
It feels like 15.
19:16
It does, my
19:18
feet are burning.
19:19
This goes on for a minute.
19:20
Okay, ready?
19:22
One, two, three.
19:26
Finally, you can jump in style on
19:28
the diving board.
19:31
I find our question asker, Susan,
19:32
still in the pool near the diving
19:34
board. Did we get everything?
19:36
You know, I think that covers the
19:37
major methods for getting in.
19:39
I mean, then of course the question
19:41
is where you get in.
19:42
Which side?
19:43
How deep?
19:43
So it's a major
19:45
philosophical question.
19:48
I don't know if we're going to be
19:49
able to answer that one.
19:50
But at least we can do the science.
19:52
We can do science.
19:53
I'm curious about the science
19:55
Is there an ideal way to get into
19:58
Barton Springs, like from a medical
20:00
perspective, in terms of creating
20:02
the least discomfort?
20:04
Boy, if there is, I haven't figured
20:05
out what it is yet.
20:06
Dr. Christopher's.
20:07
Bell again, so it's really just a
20:08
personal preference.
20:09
It really is, there's not a
20:10
medically right answer to that
20:12
question of how do you get
20:14
into cold water.
20:15
I think it's whatever way works for
20:17
you, works.
20:18
That story was reported by
20:20
KUT's Matt Largie for our AT
20:22
Explained project.
20:23
You can catch up on all the
20:24
questions that have been answered on
20:26
the AT Explain podcast and you
20:28
can ask your own at kut.org.
20:31
That is it for today's show.
20:33
Rene Chavez is our technical
20:34
director.
20:35
Alexandra Hart is our producer.
20:37
Kristin Cabrera is our managing
20:39
producer, I'm your host Jerry
20:41
Quijano, and today we want to
20:43
close with a special thank you to
20:44
Casey Cheek who's off to shine
20:46
elsewhere.
20:47
We are going to miss you buddy, but
20:48
we're incredibly thankful for the
20:49
things you've taught us and the time
20:51
we have been able to spend with you.
20:53
Spend that time with your loved
20:54
ones, be safe this weekend, and
20:56
hey guess what, Austin Signal was
20:57
going to be back on Monday.
20:59
We'll talk to you then.