As Bonham continues to recover, there’s one message that keeps echoing: “I’m so proud of our town… we’re going to survive this and we’re going to get through it.”
BONHAM, Texas — After three EF-1 tornadoes swept through Grayson and Fannin Counties in Texas last week, the damage was hard to miss — and hard to forget.
“It’s like a warzone,” Sondra Shiver said, as neighbors began to pick up the pieces.
Fritz Deitrich was among the early risers Monday, arriving at a local food giveaway organized by the North Texas Food Bank and Feeding Fannin.
“Take enough for eight families,” he told WFAA — not for himself, but for others.
More than a hundred vehicles lined up outside the Fannin County Multipurpose Complex on Wednesday morning — Deitrich said he had arrived at 2 a.m. The distribution effort is feeding around 400 families, almost double the usual number.
“This is what we should do for each other,” Tammy Reaves of Open Arms Shelter and Feeding Fannin said.
Among those receiving help was Sondra Shiver, who said she felt lost after seeing all the damage brought to the community. Her home is still drying out, but the power just came back. Shiver said she’s still working with her insurance to figure out what damages to her home will be covered. The light pole in front of her crashed down, she lost a few windows, and a lot of the flooring needs replacing after getting wet. For her, the bags of food were more than just groceries — they were hope.
“Nothing’s going to be the same for a long time here,” Shiver said.
Fannin County has a food insecurity rate of 16%, according to a Feeding America study. The tornadoes just made it worse. However, Bonham did issue a disaster declaration after the tornadoes.
Despite the destruction, the town’s spirit remains strong.
As Bonham continues to recover, there’s one message that Shiver keeps echoing: “I’m so proud of our town… we’re going to survive this and we’re going to get through it.”