While parts of Central Texas were ravaged by flooding, the community was gripped by stories of those struggling to get in and out of their homes.
One of those was Scott, a neighbor of Mother Neff State Park near Moody.
He shares a fence with the oldest state park in Texas, and he shares its beauty. But when the Leon River bucks its boundaries, he also shares its problems.
“The main loss to me was convenience,” said Scott, whose home is where Park Road 14 meets County Road 314, also known as Old River Road and Neff Park Road. The byways parallel the Leon, a receptor of water from lakes Belton and Proctor.
“The water blocked me getting out of my driveway for 2½ months. We had to hike through the park and were inconvenienced for a long time.”
Also water-bound was Ken Wooley, who lives near the Leona Park area of Lake Belton, off Texas Highway 36.
Wooley and his wife were stranded in their Sutton Loop home for two days when their street was covered by 10 feet of water. Wooley, a heart patient, was finally freed by Bell County road crews who built an emergency one-lane road for him and seven other households.
“We had everything on hand we needed and we didn’t have a doctor’s appointment,” said Wooley, who drove the route through private property for three months. “But we felt relief when we could get out.
“When you’re hemmed in, you don’t feel quite right.”
Scott and Wooley said their homes are built high enough that they don’t flood. The beauty of their rural surroundings is incentive for each to stay put.
“We love it,” said Scott, who said he suffered losses of $10,000, and appreciated an unexpected $1,000 in FEMA aid. “We don’t have the crowds, we don’t have the traffic … We have low taxes and neighbors that help each other.”
Still, it comes at a price.
“The weather affects your life a lot more than it does in the city.”
