BRAZOS COUNTY, TX — Texans feel there has been a lack of State and local leadership response to the longest stretch of a winter storm Texas has seen in quite some time. Brazos County local officials are sharing what they have to say about this natural disaster.
The Brazos Valley has been affected by the winter storm along with many Texans. Residents feel there has been a lack of leadership.
”Just telling someone to call 211, like you call that number and no one knows what's going to happen." said Trey Watson, resident of Bryan. "I feel if they were like ‘hey I have a number call me and let me figure out what I can do for you,’ so visibility is something, I feel like if we see them actually doing stuff for the community it makes us feel good, like hey we got the right people leading us,”
City officials want residents to know that they are taking this experience as a huge lesson to never allow this to happen again. Mayor Karl Mooney of the college station says that begins with putting pressure on State leaders.
”Let's take a look, let's not forget what we’ve gone through this past week," said Karl Mooney, Mayor of College Station. "Let's makes sure we take those lessons to heart and apply what we’ve learned,”
Although there’s a long road ahead, community leaders look to return to normalcy as quickly as possible
”We do what we normally do after a flood we pick things up or a tornado, we pick things up after a fire," said Andrew Nelson, Mayor for the City of Bryan. "We pick up and we clean up,”
Community members have come together to help one another in a time of need. Both Bryan and College Station mayors gave huge thanks to Texas A&M for opening Reed Arena, as well as all first responders and community members who have provided a helping hand during this time.
”And I got to give a hand to Texas A&M as well," said Mayor Mooney. "I mean opening reed arena. They didn’t have to do that but they saw the need and they served the community,”
"It’s a big thank you, I'm proud of our city, I'm proud of our employees," said Mayor Nelson. "I am also proud of this community for the way we respond when these things happen,”
As the community comes out of this, city officials in College Station will investigate ways to provide further assistance and Mayor Nelson encourages residents to return to their normal activities, but remain mindful and conserve as best as possible.