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Saturday, June 28, 1997

And now, the cleanup

By The Associated Press

With flood waters beginning to recede, attention is shifting to a vast cleanup along more than 100 miles of rivers, lakes and shoreline in Central Texas.

"There are some huge trash piles that need to be built," said Mark Rose, general manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority, which manages the lake system.

Debris removal will cost some $1 million and take two to three months, according to initial LCRA estimates.

Federal and state damage assessment teams are set to begin touring flood areas. Their reports will help determine whether counties are declared disaster sites, making them eligible for state or federal assistance.

The state's Division of Emergency Management said Friday that approximately 20 counties, from as far north as San Saba south to Medina, have been affected.

At the Marble Falls home of Ed and Beth McClung, cleanup crews hauled away carpeting, drywall, insulation and appliances.

The McClungs had closed on the house the week before the flood, and flood insurance doesn't apply until 60 days after the sale, McClung said.

"Of course, it was a big loss, but we're going to fix it back up," said McClung, 79. "It looks like a house under construction now, but it was a real nice place when we bought it."

An accurate number of flood-damaged homes wasn't immediately available, officials said. Estimates ranged from 350 to 400, including about 100 on Lake Marble Falls and up to 200 on Lake Travis.

The state and federal teams will begin totaling flood damage in counties that have completed the necessary paperwork. So far, that includes Llano, Mason and Gillespie counties, with requests from Burnet, Blanco and Travis counties pending.

The teams will catalog damage to homes, streets and public property, said Jo Schwiekhard Moss, spokeswoman for the state emergency management agency.

Llano, meanwhile, restored water pressure to most residents on the north side of town, but pressure was lower than usual and all citizens were being asked to use water sparingly.

Frank Salvato, city manager, said drinking water should be boiled for at least 15 minutes until tests show bacteria counts at acceptable levels.

The American Red Cross was opening two centers Friday to meet with families affected by flooding. Services available included vouchers for food, clothing, household items and medicine. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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