Coastal community comes together for Beryl recovery

SARGENT, Texas (KBTX) - After Beryl made landfall in Matagorda County, the small coastal town of Sargent received the brunt of its force.

On Tuesday, recovery efforts began. Underneath a blue sky, the community could find clean water and a free meal at the Sargent Volunteer Fire Department.

“Plenty of water, food, without any power, water, things down here, we wanted to provide as much support as we could for the community,” Sargent Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Napoleon said.

With only one road in and one road out of town, providing support to those impacted by Beryl became a priority, for more than just local officials.

“It’s not county. It’s not state. It’s a worldwide effort. Just making sure that we all take care of each other,” Matagorda County Precinct 6 Constable Ricky Bort said.

Bort’s sentiment could be seen in action at the Volunteer Fire Department.

Thanks to World Food, a nonprofit that helps connect local food trucks with emergency responses, volunteers and those in need were able to access a hot meal at no cost.

It’s neighbors helping neighbors recover.

“Everybody comes together and pitches in to do anything that they can possibly do, whether it’s delivering materials to come out here, or help us load food and water into people’s vehicles,” Napoleon said.

County officials said recovering from Beryl could be a months-long process. The first step is restoring power and water to the area.

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