GRANGER, Texas — More than two weeks after a tornado hit Granger, a city that sits an hour northeast of Austin, Rick Hertless is still cleaning up. He says it’s hard to focus on one thing when there’s so much destruction.
“Every time we get started on something, you get pulled away and have to do something else,” Hertless said.
An insurance adjuster recently declared the three homes on his property a total loss. The money needed to rebuild could take a while to get into his family’s hands.
“At this point, I don’t have a time frame,” said J.R. Robinson, a large loss catastrophic adjuster with Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance Company. “But moving forward, it’ll be better once we’re able to fully assess and dissect what’s left of the structures.”
Hertless says he hasn’t complained once since the tornado hit. He says he believes in God’s plan.
“He’s in charge,” Hertless said. “He thinks I can handle this, and so I’m good with it.”
He and his son-in-law, Danny McClelland, have been looking through piles of wood to see if any of it’s reusable. Hertless said boards are $7.40 right now, and they’ll need a lot of them. They’re trying to build a new washroom with a shower and toilet. It’ll be their first project since the tornado hit.
“My wife and I especially are not used to living in just total chaos, and it’s pretty total chaos right now,” Hertless said. “We’re going to try to get some semblance of order and get back to life.”
Hertless and his wife are living in an RV. Their daughter’s friend is letting them borrow it until they can get back on their feet.
To make matters even worse, Hertless lost his mom after the storm. She was in hospice and sheltering with the family during the tornado.
“We just buried her yesterday,” he said. “It is just a lot, you know, to put on top of all of this at the same time.”
Hertless has placed his faith in God. He says he didn’t fear death during the storm because he knows where he’s going. For now, he’ll keep being strong and cleaning up for his family.
“Part of life if just getting up and walking again, you know? And that’s what we’re doing. We’re just getting up, walking again, and see where it leads us,” he said.