Residents of Burnet County began picking through the debris after at least one tornado swept through their Texas community last Thursday, CBS Austin reports. Among them, Stephani Mikeska returned to find her home and surroundings significantly damaged by the storm. "The minute we shut the door I blacked out I don't remember anything," Mikeska told CBS Austin. Grateful to have survived, she said, "All of our outer buildings are probably gone...I am just so thankful, He wasn’t ready to take me home. I have got work to do."
Her neighbor, Nathan Morton, unexpectedly delayed while trying to make his way to work, found himself spared from being directly in the path of the tornadoes. "I was out last night trying to leave for work and thankfully I got stuck with all the rain and mess because this is the road I take to get to work," Morton recounted to News 4 San Antonio. Despite being fortunate to avoid the storm's full fury, he did not escape unscathed as the storm ripped the paneling off of his home, with him clarifying, "I didn’t realize it was tornado but you could hear the wind for sure."
Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson expressed the community's focus post-storm, emphasizing the well-being of the residents. "Our first consideration is people, we care about the people more than anything else," Wilson said in a statement obtained by CBS Austin. Wilson's words echoed the sentiments of local authorities and volunteers who began to gather to survey the damage and assist affected residents.
Assistance in the aftermath also came from Mikeska's friends and neighbors, who immediately stepped in to help clear the downed trees and debris. "Trees are down. Hundreds and hundreds of trees so its going to take a while," Mikeska commented, according to CBS Austin. To support the ongoing cleanup and rebuilding efforts, the Mikeska family started a GoFundMe account. Amid the recovery effort, a video showing the tornado's power circulated, captured by a resident and highlighting the urgency of the situation, as detailed by News 4 San Antonio.
Though only one individual was reported injured during the event, the toll taken on homes and lives by the tornado's passing was evident. As recovery continues, the support networks within Burnet County showcase the resilience and communal strength in the face of nature's upheaval.
