National Guard delivers cases of water to Stephens County for Sunday distribution
UPDATE: Stephens County is expecting another five pallets of water from the Texas Division of Emergency Management on Monday, Feb. 22. A water distribution site will be set up when the water arrives.
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
The Texas Army National Guard unit out of Dyess Air Force Base delivered four pallets of bottled water to Stephens County tonight. The water will be handed out Sunday afternoon, Feb. 21, to local residents who are still without drinking water.
Texas Army National Guard members load a pallet of bottled water onto a tractor driven by Stephens County Commissioner Mark McCullough. The water will be distributed to local residents on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Michael Roach)
Stephens County Judge Michael Roach and County Commissioner Mark McCullough were on hand at about 10 p.m. Saturday when the National Guard made their last regional delivery of the day. The Guard members and others from their unit had already delivered water in Abilene, Buffalo Gap, Colorado City, Lueders, Ranger and Moran.
SSG Montoya said they expect to be delivering water around the area for another week or two. “As long as Texas needs us, we’ll continue doing this,” he said. “We’re just Texans serving Texans.”
The bottle water will be distributed to those who do not have safe drinking water, beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church on West Walker Street.
Earlier Saturday, United Supermarket donated two pallets of water. One load was sent to Woodson, which also doesn’t have water, and the other was handed out to Stephens County residents.
Although the extremely low temperatures are out of the weather forecast for now, access to safe water continues to be an issue for many people in the area. Water service has been restored to most Breckenridge and Stephens County residents, but many don’t have safe drinking water due to either broken pipes or the Boil Water Notice for rural water customers.
Click the following link to read the Breckenridge Texan’s previous article, Updates on water, trash service in Breckenridge, Stephens County.
Lee Olson uses a fork lift to help move a pallet of bottled water for a Throckmorton County official, center. United Supermarket donated two pallets of water for area residents who are without drinking water, and Stephens County shared one pallet with the neighboring county. Also pictured are United Supermarket managers Cody Dunson and Turner Baugh and Stephens County Commissioner Mark McCullough. (Photo courtesy of Michael Roach)
Cutline, top photo: Stephens County officials were in downtown Breckenridge Saturday night as Texas Army National Guard members out of Dyess Air Force Base delivered four pallets of drinking water. Pictured are, front row, from left, SSG Pruitt, Stephens County Commissioner Mark McCullough, County Judge Michael Roach, SSG Bogan and SSG Montoya; and, back row, from left, SPC Curran, SPC Ibarra and SPC McQuarie. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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