AUGUST 3, 2022 HAYS HAWKS FOOTBALL CAMP ENDS ON POSITIVE NOTE
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Vol. 128 • No. 21
Serving Hays County, TX
CAUTION ADVISED
Texas, Hays County battle frequent wildfires
BY MEGAN WEHRING
Several crews from around the region helped work the scene including HAYS COUNTY – fire departments from Wildfire activity has been Buda, Kyle, North Hays, increasing throughout Hays County and across the San Marcos, South Hays and Manchaca. STAR Flight state. As hot and dry conditions helicopters, the Texas A&M Forest Service and the persist, extremely dry Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual vegetation will continue Aid System also assisted. to support wildfire activity “The coordination among across much of the state, the responding agencies to even as surface moisture work swiftly to contain the increases in some areas, fire, while also minimizing according to the Texas traffic disruption, was A&M Forest Service. remarkable,” said Micah The most recent Grau, Buda city manager. wildfire in Hays County “We extend our sincere started around noon on gratitude for all of their Wednesday, July 27, off efforts in keeping this RM 967 and east of Dove wildfire under control and Drive in Buda’s extraprotecting adjacent homes territorial jurisdiction and property owners.” on the Persimmons tract Earlier in the same of property. About 89.5 month, first responders acres were burned and throughout the region approximately 95% of the helped battle a wildfire at fire was contained as of 9 the Storm Ranch property p.m. Monday, Aug. 1. off Gatlin Creek Road The fire threatened outside of Dripping Springs nearly 200 homes and was over a span of four days. started when a driver with The call came in around 3 a livestock trailer hitched to their vehicle accidentally p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, and the fire was 100% backed into a utility pole, which caused the electrical contained on Saturday, July 9. wires to sway and spark, There is potential for according to a news release larger wildfires to occur in from the city of Buda. the eastern and western “All of the emergency areas of Hill Country, crews, from Hays County and Buda fire teams, Texas Cross Timbers and eastern A&M Forrest Service, Texas Rolling Plains into early next week, the Texas A&M Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid Forest Service stated. System strike team, and “As conditions continue other surrounding fire departments and agencies, to deteriorate for much set an example for how fast of the state, we remain proactive in ensuring the action and real teamwork state has the necessary should look,” said Buda resources to respond Mayor Lee Urbanovsky in a news release. “The city of to any wildfire,” said Wes Moorehead, Texas Buda is extremely grateful A&M Forest Service Fire for their superb response Chief. “Wildfire activity is to a potentially very occurring across the state, dangerous fire.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TEXAS A&M FOREST SERVICE
Wildfires are common this year due to drought conditions across the state of Texas. The Texas A&M Forest Service has been partnering with local and state agencies to help battle wildfires. from border to border, and requires a lot of support. Texas A&M Forest Service continues to mobilize additional firefighters, equipment and aircraft, positioning them across the state for a quick response.” The upper-level ridge of high pressure that is responsible for the hot and dry conditions impacting much of Texas over the past several weeks is forecast to move back over the state Sunday through Wednesday. Widespread triple-digit temperatures will once again appear across the state. With slightly higher wind speeds, the fire environment will support wildfire ignitions. Persistent temperatures above 100 degrees will continue to draw moisture from live vegetation. MidJuly live fuel samples in the Cross Timbers, Rolling Plains and Hill Country are at critical levels, making tree torching, or the transition of fire from the ground to the canopy of trees, likely with elevated fire weather conditions. Texas A&M Forest Service monitors live
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYS COUNTY
It was all hands on deck to battle a wildfire that occurred in the Buda ETJ that started on Wednesday, July 27. fuel moistures across the state. The data collected from these sample sites are used to determine the condition of vegetation and assist fire managers in deciding where to position resources. In addition to the 300 Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters, there are 1,080 firefighters from land management agencies across the nation as well
See WILDFIRES, page 10
Stage 1 measures in effect BUDA — The city of Buda is under Stage 1 drought restrictions as of Aug. 1.
When Stage 1 drought conservation measures are in effect, the city of Buda aims to achieve a 10% reduction of total water use. Outdoor irrigation is restricted as follows: • Irrigation with hose-end sprinklers and automatic sprinkler systems is prohibited between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The outdoor watering twice-per-week schedule is: oddnumbered residential on Wednesday and/ or Saturday, evennumbered residential on Thursday and/ or Sunday, and commercial, mixed use and multifamily on Tuesday and/or Friday • Outdoor watering must start and stop within the 24-hour period of the designated water day as determined by address
The city of Buda is under Stage 1 drought restrictions as of Monday. • It is recommended that outdoor watering be limited to one of the permitted watering days each week in order to promote conservation Outdoor irrigation is permitted as follows: • Outdoor watering with a handheld bucket, handheld hose with a positive shutoff device, soaker hose and/or drip irrigation • Irrigation of vegetable gardens with a handheld bucket, handheld hose, soaker hose or drip
KYLE NATIVE SERVES IN INTERNATIONAL MARITIME WARFARE EXERCISE – PAGE 6
Two volunteers help a third fill out paper work, helping visualize the reunification process.
School districts prepare for crisis, receive reunification training BY CJ VETTER
BUDA DECLARES DROUGHT STAFF REPORT
PHOTO BY CJ VETTER
irrigation • Irrigation of protected trees by a soaker hose, automatic bubbler, tree watering bag, or similar device placed within the tree's drip line • Commercial nurseries are subject to the time restrictions when using automated irrigation systems, but may operate on any day. Date and time restrictions for irrigation do not apply
See DROUGHT, page 10
verified, the ‘children’ would be collected, reunited with the ‘parents’, HAYS COUNTY and then sent on their way. Wimberley ISD, Dripping Special care was given to Springs ISD and San ensure that at no point Marcos ISD received a prior to the reunification two-day training on postdid the volunteers playing emergency reunification the role of parents see July 25 through July those playing the role of 26, at San Marcos High children, as in a real-life School. The training scenario, this could quickly was coordinated by the lead to confusion and a nonprofit group I Love U Guys Foundation – its goal systemic breakdown as parents run to meet their is to provide a consistent way to reunite parents with children. “These procedures their children following can be used not only for emergencies. emergency situations, but The Standard with power outages, and Reunification Method (SRM) employed by I Love with anything else of that nature,” said John-Michael U Guys centers around Keyes, founder of I Love U creating an accountable Guys. “If parents become and compassionate process that avoids chaotic accustomed to that process in a less intense situations. The process environment, then there begins immediately is also a certain sense of following a crisis as familiarity when it comes children are moved to a to an emergency situation.” pre-determined location Part of the reason why away from the impacted this training occurred was area. Once the children as a way to help prepare are fully moved and safe, for future incidents like district staff coordinates the one that occurred at with police, EMS and Uvalde earlier this year. fire departments, and Keyes created the begins to subdivide into organization following a different roles before school shooting that took contacting parents. Once parents arrive, children are the life of his daughter in 2006. Since then, I Love then reunited with their parents in a calm and safe U Guys has gone on to create Standard Responses environment. Protocols (SRP) that are “The purpose of the implemented in over training is to provide our 25,000 schools in the US first responders and our and Canada. school administrators “When they looked at tools and confidence in the America, they called it 50 knowledge that we have experiments in democracy. a process in place,” said Laurie Taylor, Hays County For K-12 education, we call it 103 experiments in Office of Emergency local control,” Keyes said. Services planner. “We’ve “Things like the [SRM] can got your kids. How to get help in a moment of chaos them safely back to you is and emotion… If you look first and foremost in our at the process, I would hate mind.” to invent it on the spot.” The training itself While the SRM and SRP involved groups of are designed with ensuring volunteers taking on the standardization and a roles of parents, staff and children to help mimic the common language across many different schools, process. they were also made with ‘Parents’ were directed the idea that each school to fill out paperwork would vary in needs, size verifying their given and student bodies. When identities, while ‘children’ waited within the gym. Once a ‘parent’ was See SCHOOL, page 10
The Hays Free Press Barton Publications, Inc. The Hays Free Press (USPS 361-430) published weekly by Barton Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Buda, TX 78610. Periodicals postage paid at Buda, TX 78610 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Barton Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Buda, TX 78610. ISSN#1087-9323