New Braunfels woman behind the project to help small town devastated by Hurricane Beryl

SAN ANTONIO — Stepping up for Sargent, Texas. People from the New Braunfels area collected goods and packed a trailer full of much-needed supplies. The small community known for fishing, boating and water sports was hit big time by Beryl.

Erin Bowers said her heart is with Sargent, and she knew she needed to do something.

“The devastation and the loss this community has had is truly something I want Texas as a whole to truly understand,” she said. “We are seeing homes that literally just had the roofs ripped off and thrown down the road, and trucks flipped over, and homes completely destroyed.”

Bowers grew up near the area and would spend a lot of time in the town, which is about 74 miles south of Houston.

“It is such a small unincorporated little part of Matagorda County,” Bowers said.  “This is where my heart is, and I am watching them from afar and I am like what can we do.”

Bowers put out a call to action on social media asking for supplies.

“What can we do,” she said. “That’s what Texans really do for each other. We show up when the time is needed, and we take care of one another.”

Bowers said since the town doesn’t have much, she is wanting to make sure the community gets the support they need.

“Sargent Texas isn’t really getting that support just yet,” she said. “They are in such desperate needs of supplies.”

Bower’s family and friends really stepped up in a big way. They collected tarps, gloves, dog food, water, battery-operated fans just to name a few and packed enough supplies to fill a trailer. She admits times are tough for everyone, but said we really need to stop and think about our fellow Texans.    

“No one chose to be in this kind of devastation, and so what can we do as a community,” she said. “Because we do feel like a lifetime away from them.”

She said Sargent’s Volunteer Fire Department is the collecting point for all the supplies.