CASTROVILLE, Texas – Castroville residents are picking up the pieces after multiple storms and a possible tornado roared through the community Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Daylight exposed the trail of destruction along Highway 90 West with downed power lines, a trampoline on the side of the road, trees scattered on roadways and an RV laying on its side.
While some businesses were spared from storm damage, others like BeeSpace next to Castroville True Value on Highway 90, were completely wiped out.
The owner, 16 year-old Trent Anderson, said he was hopeful Thursday morning’s outcome would be different but prepared for the worst-case scenario.
“Well, I was here when the storm first hit,” Anderson said. “We were trying to get things out (but) the weather forced us out. We actually ended up running off the road… because we couldn’t even see the road.”
A short time later, the calls began to come in.
“First they called me to tell me the tent is shredded, and then calls after that (they told me the) tent is upside down and everything is scattered,” Anderson said.
Anderson and his family made their way back to the honey shop to access the damage and clean up.
“All these people started showing up to help us clean up,” Anderson said.
The wind pulled the tent and snapped the chains that linked it to cement buckets. Anderson said it’s a big blow as he was in the middle of costly upgrades for his business.
“I bring jams and all these other product in, and I remodeled the shop,” Anderson said. “I put in about $3,000 to $3,500 in the past two to three months.”
The last few hours have been exhausting for the young entrepreneur, however he said he’s not giving up on his passion for bees and honey.
“I’m just going to try to rebuild it (because) it funds the bee (keeping) business,” Anderson said. “Beekeeping is what my future is based off of.”
With his bees unharmed by the storms, Anderson is hopeful he’ll soon have a storefront again.
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