SAN ANTONIO — The staff at SJRC Texas was completely caught off guard when pipes in the overhead sprinkler system at their New Braunfels location began to burst.
SJRC Texas houses sexual and physical abuse victims.
They say two inches water flooded many of the common rooms. All of this happening inside while the winter storm was blowing through the area on the outside.
“They all packed up and relocated the girls to our Bulverde campus which houses 45 already by itself, with kids with no running water” SJRC Texas CEO Tara Rousett said.
Rousett says staff at the Bulverde location was already using pool water to flush toilets, boiling snow to wash dishes, and had only one working Crock-Pot to feed over 60 women and children.
“We had a superhero staff that took over the cooking and she just made sure everybody was fed and warm. They cuddled together and made sure the babies had formula and milk. They are Texas strong, they persevered, and stuck together and learned what family is all about,” Rousett said.
Rousett says the ceilings, walls, and floors at their New Braunfels location will all need to be replaced before it’s livable again, but she says thanks to their amazing staff acting so quickly and creatively the women and children stayed safe as they endured through the storm.
“We’re had emergency evacuation plans in place that we practice all the time and they did it seamlessly. These are truly heroes, the kids and staff that take care of them, it’s amazing,” Rousett said.