THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
There are no words to describe the tragic events that took place during the Fourth of July weekend.
What was supposed to be a day of celebration with family and friends turned into a day of disaster and death in the Hill Country. Heavy rainfall caused catastrophic flooding in several communities – most notably Kerrville – along the Guadalupe River.
This rapidly rising wall of water led to the deaths of more than 100 people in Kerr County alone. The death toll is likely to rise as more than 160 people are still missing as of press time.
Kerrville, the county seat of Kerr County, wasn’t the only place devastated by the storms and their aftermath. Bandera and Boerne – both of which have sister newspapers to this publication – were hit by this natural disaster, and so were parts of Williamson County.
As I write this, 119 people have died in connection with the flash floods from the rainfall. The bulk of those were in Kerr County, which saw 95 fatalities. By the time you read this, the number likely will have increased.
Even Williamson County wasn’t immune to tragedy. Two people’s deaths last weekend were attributed to the flooding. In the aftermath of this catastrophe, plenty of talking heads have expressed what they “would have done differently” or what “should have been done” to prevent this. Some have even gone as far as to blame politicians for this calamity. When disaster strikes, it is a common practice to try and make sense of what happened and what steps might have helped avert the situation. I’ve been guilty of doing so in the past as well.
However, there was very little that could have been done to prevent the lightning-fast swelling of the river flows. Don’t complicate this by trying too hard to “make sense” of it.
Dozens are dead, including young children caught in the dark as rushing waters flooded their camp. All of the analysis, secondguessing or what-ifs in the world aren’t going to bring any of the deceased back.
This tragedy also has nothing to do with politics. When a natural disaster or pandemic strikes, it does not matter what political party you belong to because you’re fair game.
On a side note, I resided in Kerrville nearly two decades ago. I lived in an apartment complex not too far from the Guadalupe River. I am not unfamiliar with the area.
Tragedies like this one help me put things in perspective and not take things for granted, such as staying up a few minutes past bedtime to say the alphabet or watch a YouTube video or “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” with my kids.
I’ve also been viewing more “Law & Order SVU” or “Chicago Fire/ PD” with my wife lately.
My prayers go out to the people of Kerrville and Kerr County; the other communities across the state deluged by the floods; and the families of those who lost loved ones. One lesson we should all learn from this terrible event: Don’t take those near and dear to you for granted.
Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jason.chlapek@granitemediapartners.
com.
