Storm destroys Bertram's old fire dept.

BERTRAM, Texas (KXAN) - Bertram Police Chief David Caudle stared at the pile of rubble below his town's water tower. Just days before, this was the site of Bertram's old volunteer fire department.

"We moved them out last year to a bigger, better building one year ago," he explained. "It's a miracle it didn't hit last year."

Caudle estimated the tree that slammed down on the building's roof during last week's storm was 150 to 200 years old. The building collapsed under the weight, pinning the town's brand new back hoe below.

"The town had to dig that thing out to clean up the rest of the mess," he said. "Luckily, it didn't have too many scratches. We really needed it for the rest of the work."

With dozens of trees down all over town after winds of 60 to 70 mph, Caudle helped organize the work ahead. On Monday, crews were still chainsawing limbs and repairing roofs.

“That’s when I drove past here and saw my roof gone,” recalled Tom Blasienz, a downtown building owner, “and it was a little unnerving.”

On Monday alone, the town filled up three of giant dumpsters with building materials twice, but they were unable to hold half of what was still left. 20% of the town’s tree limbs slowly became mulch, as crews, even from other towns, gathered what residents tossed to the curb.

With so much damage, Caudle said he has trouble believing only one person had injuries.

“A man fell that was on one of the chainsaw crews trimming limbs, injured his wrist, possibly broke it,” he explained. “Within two hours, well really before lunch, he was back out, back on the cleanup crew, dragging limbs and brush and stuff one-handed.”

Some of the immediate repairs involved gas leaks and a water main break. Crews also had to remove a tree from the railroad tracks running through town. A train stalled on the tracks throughout the night of the storm.

"Once we got those things out of the way, things have been pretty smooth. Slow, but smooth," Caudle explained.

He said many volunteer crews showed up from other nearby cities to help. He warns Bertram residents to first check every person offering help.

"There are certain people here preying on the elderly," he said. "We had one woman lose $750, thinking she was paying for a roof repair. That man took her money and never came back."

He said any contractor planning work in Bertram must first register with the city. So far, city crews have completed much of the work for residents for free. Residents can also place debris on the curb, and crews will pick it up throughout the week.