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Bastrop County reports damage around Elgin due to tornado

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    Gruetzner Lane near Elgin. Photo courtesy of Bastrop County

On the evening of March 21, Bastrop County and the City of Elgin was hit by severe weather including a tornado, which passed south and east of the City of Elgin. Responders immediately activated to assess injuries and damages and to support the needs of the public. Agencies responding included Bastrop County Sheriffs Office, Elgin Police Department, Texas Division of Emergency Management, and Texas DPS. In addition, Bastrop-Travis Counties ESD#1 completed search and rescue operations, supported by Acadian Ambulance Service, Constable Joey Dzienowski, Pct 4; Bluebonnet Electric; Bastrop County OEM and Bastrop County Information Technology. Unified Command for the response included County Judge Pape, Elgin Mayor Ramirez, ESD Fire Chief Martinez, and Elgin Police Chief Noble, all working from the Elgin Fire Department. Responders initially identified 65 homes that have been damaged or destroyed. Damage assessment crews have made an initial pass through the impact zone and will return to confirm their findings. Judge Paul Pape has issued a Disaster Declaration and Order, effective 8:30 AM on March 22, 2022.

Damage to the area includes:

  • Bluebonnet Electric reported 32 Power poles damaged, about half have been repaired
  • 1 Non-Life Threatening Injury
  • Multiple Trees Down Across The Area
  • 75% of the City of Elgin without Power

BBEC estimates all power should be restored by noon on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

Roads remaining closed:

  • Gruetzner Lane at State Highway 95 – power poles down
  • 1300 Block of Old Sayers Rd. – high water

The public is asked to secure their property in the impacted areas. If you are not a resident of the area, we ask that you stay away to allow safety and recovery officials to do their work. There are multiple traffic lights flashing or out of service in the Elgin area. These should be treated as a 4 way stops. Expect officers to be monitoring major intersections for compliance with traffic signs and speed limits. Texas Department of Emergency Management is onsite with a damage assessment team. Residents can report damage to homes and businesses using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT), which can be downloaded to any digital device. The iSTAT damage survey can be filled out in English or Spanish online by clicking damage.tdem.texas.gov and selecting March Severe Weather. TDEM has published a tutorial video explaining the iSTAT survey here on the survey landing page. If you have experienced damage from the storm, or need assistance, please contact 512-303-4300 or email oem@co.bastrop.tx.us.