Hughes Springs city hall ‘looks to be salvageable’

HUGHES SPRINGS, Texas (KLTV) - Work to assess the damage in Hughes Springs and determine what might be salvageable continues on Sunday.

Many are still trying to process the scope of just what happened in Hughes Springs on Friday when a damaging storm swept through the city.

It’s been revealed that a firefighter was actually inside the fire station that was destroyed when the building was crushed, but he was able to get up and leave uninjured following the damage.

Sunday, crews are beginning salvage work. Police Chief Randy Kennedy said that city hall, thought to be destroyed, looks as though it may be salvageable after all. Moreover, important city records that were within have not been damaged by water.

KLTV's Bob Hallmark reports from the Hughes Springs fire station that was damaged in Friday's severe weather.

Hughes Springs has also received an outpouring of support from neighboring communities. Nearby agencies have assured the city that they will pitch in to cover fire response for the area until Hughes Springs has an alternative site from which to run their fire units.

“We’ve had departments from hundreds of miles away,” said Fire Chief Jay Cates. “Everybody’s heard about our situation, and they’ve offered their help. You just can’t beat that. You get so much help you’ve got to actually turn some away, and that’s sad, but anybody out there offering, if we don’t take the help, please know we appreciate it.”

For now, the fire department is trying to recover their records and equipment. Insurance plays a big part in when they will be able to rebuild, and recovery is expected to be a long haul.

Much debris that needs to be cleared remains around Hughes Springs as well, and cleanup may take three to four days.

Chopper 7 shows the extent of damage in Hughes Springs following severe weather on Friday.

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