More than 50 residents of the East Fork RV Resort in Cleveland found themselves abruptly having to relocate their belongings on Thursday, Jan. 25, due to the steadily rising water levels of the East Fork of the San Jacinto River. Assisting them in this swift transition were members of the Pct. 6 Constable’s Office, the Cleveland Fire Department, and several local businesses who rallied together in an impressive community effort.
As darkness fell Thursday, the last of the fortunate residents moved their trailers and belongings to higher ground. Standing outside the RV park office near the entrance off US 59 and holding her barking dog at bay was Holly Janowski, the manager of the RV park. Janowski was not one of the fortunate ones able to move to drier ground. Her camper, parked closest to the East Fork, had already taken on water and could not be relocated.
Though she was concerned about her own home, Janowski, like the captain of a ship, remained at the helm and focused on helping others. She greeted a couple as they drove in the entrance and explained that she had been trying to reach them all day to explain the situation. The residents then proceeded slowly through the rising water to reach their camper, which fortunately was located near the front of the park, and then treaded water as they gathered up their belongings and left.
Janowski hopes all the residents will return to the resort as soon as conditions improve. At any other time of the year, the East Fork RV Resort is a beautifully tranquil place despite being located along an interstate. Boasting a pool, basketball and pickleball courts, putting greens, private bathrooms and showers, on-site laundry facilities, a clubhouse and a picturesque lake, the resort is typically home for close to 70 residents.
Patrick Gorman, the owner of the park, has arranged for Janowski to stay at a nearby hotel for now. He is thankful that nobody was injured and none of his residents lost their homes or vehicles to the rising water.
“The water will go away. Our park is right on the edge of Mother Nature. We even have bald eagles from time to time. When you’re right there on the border of Mother Nature, these things can happen. It’s part of the beauty and then part of a problem at times, but most of the time it is beautiful,” Gorman said.
Hearing from his management team about how Cleveland businesses, law enforcement and firefighters rallied to help his residents on Thursday, Gorman said he wasn’t surprised.
“It just shows you how good of a town and city Cleveland is. There are a lot of good, hard-working, kind people in the Cleveland area,” Gorman said.
To thank the volunteers who answered the call to help, Gorman is planning a party in their honor at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 27. By then, water will have receded, and things will look brighter.
“We’re going to keep our Texas spirit alive and we’re going to invite everybody that helped pull units out of the park or helped with any of the evacuations. They are the unspoken heroes. What a great community, you know, for people to come. They are perfect strangers, and they came to help people. They are just wonderful people,” Gorman said.
Gorman has a lot of hard questions he hopes to ask of State leaders, particularly regarding the timing of water being released from nearby dams, which he believes added to the flooding woes downstream.
“We’re going to survive this, and people will be back in the park, but I think the state needs to come in and consider what needs to be changed to avoid more flooding in the future,” Gorman said.
The local businesses that sprang into action on Thursday to help were Melvin’s Towing, Saddle Creek Towing, BJ Burton, Freddie’s Automotive and D&D Certified Auto Repair.