Flash floods in Texas last week killed at least 121 people and left more than 170 missing. Farmers are now working to assess damage to their properties.
Across a wide swath of Texas, the inundated rivers that ravaged communities also tore through farms and ranches.
In the town of Bend, about two hours north of Austin, Boyd Clark waded into rising waters to help one of his stranded ostrich hens. Matthew Ketterman spent several agonizing hours trapped on top of his truck amid coursing rapids after driving out to check the fences on his exotic game ranch outside Burnet, about an hour south of Bend. And the overflowing San Gabriel River knocked Christmas trees sideways and staff had to get petting zoo animals into a temporary pen at Sweet Eats Adventure Farm in Georgetown, about 65 miles east of Ketterman’s ranch.
The death toll stands at 121, according to local law enforcement and Gov. Greg Abbott, and more than 170 people are still missing after flash floods consumed the region in the early morning of July 4. At Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp with cabins along the river in a rural part of Kerr County near Hunt, at least 27 campers and counselors died in what the camp described as “catastrophic flooding.” Some survivors said they woke up to water rushing through the windows.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are heading to Central Texas on Friday to survey the devastation wrought by the floods, as first responders and family members continue their search for the missing.
Meanwhile, farmers and ranchers are working to assess damage to their properties, crops and animals. Many are facing the task of caring for livestock while salvaging what crops they can and cleaning up the wreckage.
While many farmers lean on a relentless optimism to get through the uncertainty of relying on the weather for a living, extreme weather disasters like catastrophic floods, droughts and wildfires can take a toll. The weather events also pose unique challenges to those who rely on seasonal tourist rushes or who might not have crop insurance.
It’s a double-edged sword: as some farmers turn to agritourism or niche crops to weather unpredictable markets, climate change is also intensifying many of the natural disasters that can make it more difficult for those experiments to succeed. Even the larger operations are not immune, because farmers who produce all kinds of crops must plan for emergencies.
“We expect it to happen again. It’s never a question of if, but when”, said Jon Meredith, co-owner of Sweet Eats, an agritourism outfit that mainly grows Christmas trees.
