‘We can’t feed our kids:’ Here’s how Bluffton might help tiny Texas town hit by Harvey

Hurricane Harvey has been the storm that won’t quit.

With rainfall totals exceeding 50 inches, Harvey has been named the rainiest tropical storm ever recorded in the continental U.S.

All eyes have been on the metro area of Houston during the storm. And it’s no surprise; the city looks like a scene straight out of an apocalyptic movie.

But several smaller towns also have been completely inundated, among them Shoreacres, Texas.

The storm had dumped 41.8 inches of rain on the town by Wednesday morning. With no mandatory evacuation, most residents stayed home, and have been trapped since Friday.

The power was out in 80 percent of the town Wednesday, according to Mayor Kimberly Sanford. And the residents are running out of supplies.

Bluffton hopes to adopt Shoreacres

A group of Blufftonians is trying to build a groundswell of support by “adopting” the town and sending needed items.

It started with social media. Locals began posting on Facebook asking how they could help.

Heather Nicole Price — who runs the “Bluffton/Hilton Head ask and answer” group on Facebook — made a connection with Mayor Sanford through the group, and decided to focus on her town for aid.

For now, Amazon seems like the best bet for donations, although Sanford is still working on a location to send the packages and a list of donation requests.

Price is building an Amazon wish list that can be shared and trying to arrange a truck drop off near the town for sometime later this week.

In the meantime, donations can be dropped off on Hilton Head Island at:

▪  Art Cafe

▪  Lettrs in Main Street Village

▪  Rainbow International Restoration of the Low Country

▪  Conviction Training Facility

They can be dropped off in Bluffton at:

▪  Ulmer Pharmacy off S.C. 46

▪  The Carriage Shop

Double the devastation

Shareacres has been hit before, Sanford related through Price.

Back in September of 2008, Hurricane Ike blew straight through the town, causing complete devastation.

“We received the most damage of anyone else in Ike,” Sanford said. “Harvey does not compare.”

The town estimated that 575 of its 650 homes — 88 percent — were left uninhabitable from the Category 2 hurricane, according to an update on the town’s website immediately following the storm.

Fortunately, the town had been placed under a mandatory evacuation for Ike so no one was in the destroyed homes.

But aid was hard to come by.

The town of just under 1,500 people flew under the radar of large organizations’ relief efforts in 2008.

It’s located about 30 miles southeast of Houston or 32 miles north of Galveston, Texas, and described as a “small country town” with a “resort-like atmosphere.”

It seems more like a neighborhood full of tidy residential zones and beautiful parks.

It has just one real business, the Houston Yacht Club, and one official government building, the Shoreacres City Hall Building that serves as the city council chambers, the municipal court and the city offices.

It used to have an elementary school, but Ike wiped Bayshore Elementary off the map.

Shoreacres manages its own public works, utilities, parks and law enforcement, but the fire department and medical services come from a neighboring town, La Porte.

Desperate need for donations

Sanford told Price she knew the assistance situation would be similar with Harvey, considering the need in Houston.

She said she was grateful for the help.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing they are doing helping our community,” Sanford said.

She’s even planning on asking Shoreacres’ city council to adopt Bluffton as a sister city when this is all over.

“So that we may return the favor in the event Bluffton has another disaster like they saw last year (with Hurricane Matthew),” Sanford said.

Things were still looking grim for the town on Tuesday.

“We’re still facing heavy rainfall,” she said. “We’re praying and hoping that the worst part of this disaster is behind us. Only time will tell. For now, we’re staying optimistic.”

Residents are making due.

“We've been in our home since Friday,” said Desiree Vargas. “We prepared well with lots of food and water. We actually showed the (Mayweather-McGregor) fight Saturday night and had friends who got stranded on their way home.”

Vargas said her home has become a small refugee camp.

“We have eight people, three dogs and one cat right now... . It's been nonstop alarms and alerts for flooding, tornadoes, a chemical leak, high winds, etcetera.”

She said she considers herself lucky because the home has not flooded and only lost power twice.

Waters began receding on Wednesday and Sanford said she was making her way back home with her car loaded with supplies she knew wouldn’t be enough.

Basic necessities — such as bread and milk — are nowhere to be found, she said.

The residents are struggling to feed their children.

“We also have an infant on Similac soy (formula) that can’t be found,” Sanford said. “The baby has been out for days.”

She was bringing about a dozen gallons of milk and a few small cans of the baby formula back to the town.

“I’m not sure how long it will last or how long the stores will be out,” she said.

The highest priority items of need are:

▪  Similac soy baby formula

▪  stage one baby food

▪  blankets

▪  pillows

▪  Clorox/bleach

▪  mops

▪  brooms

▪  heavy duty trash bags

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 1:55 PM with the headline "‘We can’t feed our kids:’ Here’s how Bluffton might help tiny Texas town hit by Harvey."