Storm clean up at local deaf camp
Posted: February 21, 2009
By Eric Gemmell
HILL COUNTY – A week and a half after severe storms rattled parts of
Central Texas the clean up process is still continuing.
Dozens of volunteers have been hammering away at Isaiah’s Place, a
retreat and camp for the deaf nearly 45 miles northwest of Waco in
Whitney.
The camp was nearly leveled by severe storms that rolled through the
area back on February 10.
Diane Frederickson, camp director and executive director of Isaiah’s
Place was out of town when the storm passed through. She found out the
news by a telephone call.
“I was floored,” Frederickson said.
Comprehending the damage was almost impossible as friends tried to
explain the situation from nearly two hours away.
“You think you’re ready for the buildings being gone but when you see
that mess from the buildings having to go somewhere that was
overwhelming,” she added.
It’s taken countless man hours to get Isaiah’s Place functioning
again. Volunteers have donated their time and energy to return the
camp to normal.
Michael Cottrell, a senior at Texas A&M University spent Saturday
rebuilding a leveled chicken coop.
“It was sad. This is a great place. They do a lot for the community.
We wanted to make sure to come out here and help them get back on
their feet,” Cottrell said.
Frederickson says it will take a lot more time and a lot more
patience.
“We’ll be building all year I guess,” she added.
The National Weather Service has surveyed the damage but has not
determined whether a tornado or high winds caused the destruction.
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