Home Care In Llano, TX

First responders are ready for whatever might happen during the total solar eclipse on April 8, but residents also need to be prepared, Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennet told county commissioners at their regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 26.

“Every individual and neighborhood needs to be prepared for this event,” he said.

However, he reminded everyone that the eclipse “is not an emergency; this is an event.”

“It is not a declared disaster in Llano County, yet,” he continued. “You can’t holler fire until you see a fire.”

The path of the eclipse will go directly over Llano County, making it one of the best places to observe the celestial event. The eclipse will begin at 12:16 p.m. on April 8 and end by 2:57 p.m.

The window of totality, when the moon completely blocks the sun’s rays, will occur in the middle of that timeframe, beginning at 1:36 p.m. and lasting about four minutes and 23 seconds.

Officials are conservatively estimating that the county’s population will increase by about 50 percent on the day of the eclipse, which could cause major traffic congestion at locations such as the Roy Inks Bridge in Llano.

Estimates are based on what happened in rural towns, like Madras, Oregon, during the 2017 total solar eclipse. The population in Madras went from 7,700 to 100,000 on the day of that eclipse — a 1,200 percent increase.

“There’s things you can control and there’s things you can’t control,” County Judge Ron Cunningham said. “We can’t control the number of people that want to come to Llano County. The only thing we can do is be prepared for what we anticipate.”

The Commissioners Court approved spending $8,800 on pre-staged fuel for emergency vehicles. An extra portable restroom will be placed at Llano County Park. Ten haul-off dumpsters will be rented to deal with the expected litter visitors could leave behind.

Eleven deputies and three dispatchers will be on duty at all times for the expected impact days of April 4-9, said Llano County Sheriff Bill Blackburn.

Bennett recommended residents do their grocery shopping and make necessary preparations by April 1 to avoid competing with visitors. He said grocery stores and gas stations could run out of essentials during the impact days.

According to Commissioner Linda Raschke, almost every single hotel and motel room, along with all short-term rentals, in Llano County have been booked for the days surrounding the eclipse. She made the firm recommendation that residents and visitors with accommodations stay in one place and avoid travel on April 8.

Local churches and county spaces could be used as temporary shelters for those stranded due to fuel shortages and traffic jams.

Llano County offices and Llano Independent School District campuses will be closed on April 8.

“We’re all in this together, and we’ll get through this as a team and a community,” Bennett said.

Latest weather conditions from the KXAN First Warning Weather team

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Several homeowners in Llano and Burnet County told KXAN some insurers are not willing to cover them due to fire danger.

Those homeowners said they received notices from insurance companies that they are not renewing their homeowner’s policy due to “wildfire risk.”

State filings show insurance providers across Texas dramatically increased rates as companies worry about climate change and inflation pushing up costs to rebuild after natural disasters.

Wildfires are sparking a different kind of problem for people in the area: a lack of insurance coverage for their properties.

Nicole McNeese said she tried to insure the mobile home she inherited from her mother, but was told that wasn’t possible.

“They asked me a few questions about the house,” McNeese said. “Then they came back and told me that they weren’t insuring mobile homes in the state of Texas because of risk of brush fires.”

Shannon Hamilton with the Central Texas Water Coalition said the lack of water in the area isn’t helping the situation.

“I know we’re still suffering from a drought, especially in that area,” Hamilton said. “We’ve gotten some rain and people think, ‘Oh, the drought is over.’ But for the people of Llano, they are being directly impacted by the lack of rain that’s happened in the watershed.”

McNeese said she’ll continue looking for coverage, but the concern remains if she hits another wall.

“More and more people aren’t going to have that coverage,” McNeese said. “These are our homes. Maybe the premiums might be higher in a high-risk area, but to completely be denied. It’s scary.”

The most recent wildfire in Llano County burned 707 acres in July 2023.

Officials said no homes were lost, but 12 were threatened. The blaze was likely started by someone in the area operating machinery, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

A river's water levels in drought-stricken central Texas increased dramatically overnight on Wednesday after heavy rains doused the region.

Texas has suffered from severe drought throughout the summer with the water levels in many lakes, reservoirs, and rivers dropping as a result. As of Thursday, the entirety of Llano County in central Texas was suffering from severe drought, with nearly 45 percent of the county battling exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor Map. "Exceptional" is the worst classification of drought by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Llano River levels have remained low throughout the summer but jumped by 10 feet overnight after heavy rains pummeled the region. Parts of Llano County received at least 7.5 inches of rain through 7 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in San Antonio and Austin. The rainfall supplemented the Llano River, which entered a moderate flood stage.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told Newsweek that some showers may continue throughout the day, but the heaviest rain has moved to the east.

"The Llano River at Llano has now passed through a stage of 12 feet, which puts it in moderate flood stage," the NWS posted on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday morning.

"The river is expected to remain in flood stage through early evening today. Continue to stay aware for possible rising water along this portion of the Llano River today."

Videos of the rushing river were shared on social media.

"Heavy rains overnight created localized flash flooding and saw the Llano River at Llano, Texas cresting a short while ago at 32,000 [cubic feet per second] and 12.7 ft," social media user Will Leverett posted on X. "Storms have now passed here in Llano but a Flood Warning remains in effect."

The USGS gage for Llano River at Llano jumped by 10 feet overnight on Wednesday. KVUE meteorologist Shane Hinton said the river was expected to peak at 14.6 feet before lowering throughout Thursday evening.

"This is the highest peak since June 2016," Hinton posted on X Thursday morning.

Hinton touted the rainfall as "incredible" in a follow-up post on Thursday morning.

The rushing water was headed toward Lake Travis, according to a post by TravisCountySevereWx, which was cause for celebration for Austin-area residents. Lake Travis has also suffered from low water levels because of the drought, exposing hidden pecan groves and a concrete dock previously buried under the reservoir. Several boat launch ramps closed at the lake this summer due to the low water levels.

"Best news I've seen in quite a while," one user responded to the post.

The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor Map was shared Thursday and shows drought impacts through Tuesday. An updated map is shared weekly on Thursdays. Kines told Newsweek that the rain will aid Llano County's drought issue.

"They need more than this, but it's certainly a step in the right direction," Kines said, adding that the weather pattern is "transitioning into something that could lead to normal or above normal rainfall for that area over the next couple of months."

The name says it all. Hippie Dippie Holistic Market is a wellspring of natural wellness products, including oils, tinctures, teas, and ointments. The new shop at 1250 Texas 29 East in Llano held a grand opening on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Its products can be used as illness remedies or preventatives, said owner Amber Bell, who doubles as a shopkeeper and a guide through the world of holistic treatments.

“Holistic is a specific view, but I think it’s needed, and a lot of people are coming around to it,” she told DailyTrib.com. “I’m honestly surprised at how many people are into this. The people that walk into my door either know what they want and they’re already into it, or they don’t know what they want but they’re wanting to start.”

“Holistic” refers to the idea that everything is interconnected — body, mind, and spirit. Holistic medicine uses natural means to cure or prevent disease rather than just treating the symptoms, according to the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at Western Connecticut State University.

Bell, a Llano native, wanted to share her love for natural medicine with her hometown, which led to the opening of Hippie Dippie Holistic Market.

She hopes to expand the store’s offerings in the future to include locally sourced organic produce and meat as well as classes on holistic home practices, such as making sourdough starters, infusing oils with herbs, and whipping up fire cider.

She named the market after leaning into a joke her father would make whenever she was walking around the house with tallow on her face or wearing a castor oil pack: “There she goes with that hippie-dippie stuff again,” he would say.

Hippie Dippie Holistic Market in Llano is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays. Keep up with shop updates on Facebook or email [email protected].

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A brush fire that began burning at a ranch Thursday afternoon grew to scorch 707 acres and is 100% contained as of 9:14 p.m. Sunday.

Officials said no homes have been lost, but 12 were threatened. The blaze was likely started by someone in the area operating machinery, according to the Texas A&M Forrest Service.

Air support and dozers worked to build firelines.

Humidity kept the flames low early Friday morning, which helped the containment process. Even though the majority of the fire was contained by that time, officials said the conditions Friday afternoon were concerning.

“This excessive heat is just making these fuels even dryer,” said Walter Flocke of Texas A&M Forrest Service. “Temperatures over triple digits every single day, multiple days in a row, is going to make what could have been a smaller fire even bigger and harder for crews to control,” Flocke continued.

The Llano County Office of Emergency Management posted on its Facebook page Thursday that at least 10 agencies were responding to the fire located near East Highway 71 and County Road 307. Crews had also shut down CR 307 due to the response.

Initially, first responders told KXAN the fire began on a ranch property.

Air support from the Texas Forest Service is assisted with the fire, according to the Llano County Office of Emergency Management.

At last check, there are no structures were in danger, according to Llano officials.

“We do have fires in this area – Llano County – quite often,” Flocke said. “There is definitely plenty of fuel out here that’s available for the fire to burn because of the drought, because of ice storms – all of that,” he continued.

As of July 10, Llano County had a burn ban in place.

The firefighters on the scene have not been alone. Volunteers from Hill Country Auxillary were meters away from the fire, handing out cold drinks and food to those putting out the flames.

“The firefighters – it does not take long for them to get overheated, exhausted, dehydrated,” said Amanda Barnett, Vice President of Hill Country Auxiliary in Llano County. “Our purpose and main goal is to keep them going.”

Barnett said the organization began several years ago by three women whose husbands were firefighters.

“It started out with us just going out with their own little personal coolers, case of water and [handing out] Gatorade,” she said. “Then we just saw a bigger need – the fires out here were getting bigger, worse and taking longer.”

The organization is now a 501(c)(3) organization and volunteers will show up at disasters all over the state to aid in any way they can. Friday, the group had several tables full of snacks and many ice chests full of cold drinks. Volunteers also catered lunch from a popular Llano County Barbeque restaurant.

“These guys, they really are dedicated to what they do,” Barnett said. “Whatever they need so they can do their job effectively – we take care of that. They worry about nothing when they get to my scene.”