SAN ANTONIO – As residents brace for Hurricane Harvey, Texas Department of Transportation crews from around the state are staging in San Antonio, preparing for its aftermath.
Crews from the Austin, San Angelo, Fort Worth and Laredo districts are in the Alamo City, ready to go out to affected areas once it’s safe. They'll be responsible for cleaning up debris on state roadways, fixing traffic signals and putting signs back up.
"I think it just boils down to Texans helping Texans," said Matthew Heinze, a special crews supervisor from the Austin district.
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TxDOT spokesman Josh Donat said about 75 members of the available crews would be headed south for cleanup, while about 30 will be used in the San Antonio area.
As Harvey rolls in, the crews don't know exactly where they'll go or when, but they have an idea of what they'll find.
"More likely, it's going to be downed power lines, trees, abandoned cars," said Jimmy Lozano, from the Laredo district.
Lozano said he has headed into evacuated areas twice before, for Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita
"It just gives you goosebumps going in," he said. "You see everybody coming out of that evacuated area. And you going into it, it's an odd, eerie feeling. You don't know what you're getting yourself into as far as it looks like a ghost town."
Once they're in, they could be there a while. Heinze said his crew is ready to go.
"Everyone is eager to help," he said. "Everyone's got a positive attitude."
TxDOT won't send them until it's safe. So, like the rest of the state, they're watching and waiting.
"Whenever they're ready for us and they make the call, that's when we'll respond," Heinze said.
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