Because in Robertson County, we care about others and we show it

I don’t know Susan Ruland well. In fact, I’ve only met her a couple of times and have spent far more time talking with her husband, Sheriff Bill Ruland. As you can imagine, in his line of work serving all of us here in Robertson County, the newspaper guy rings his ear probably more often than he’d like.

What I know about Bill is what I suspect about Susan: she’s going to hate this column.

Robertson County has a way of showing up when major disasters strike Texas. On April 17, 2013, a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, exploded, killing 15 people and injuring many more. Countless trucks filled with everything from water to blankets, money and other supplies rolled out of Robertson County to help. I had been here for about a year then and not only reported on it — I contributed, too.

Jim Armstrong and I were just talking about this, remembering how our communities responded to hurricanes like Katrina and Rita. His memory goes back even farther to Hurricane Celia in 1970. They all had something in common: Robertson County answered the call for help.

This time, the devastation is almost impossible to believe. Communities across Texas have mounted a largescale flood relief response following the catastrophic flash floods over the Fourth of July weekend that claimed 109 lives so far and left more than 160 people missing in Kerr County. Among the dead are children who had gathered at Camp Mystic for the holiday — children who never got the chance to celebrate.

The widespread damage is staggering, and once again, Robertson County is answering the call.

All those I could fit are named on the front page of this paper. But this column isn’t about them — it’s about the person who organized so much of this effort, sent me the details, and made sure I could tell you how great all these people are. And they are great. But…

Susan Ruland began this effort almost immediately — if not sooner. She rallied support, gathered supplies, even lined up heavy equipment to send to Kerr County. It is currently being escorted by two volunteer off-duty cops as we speak.

This is just one example of what makes Robertson County special — our instinct to help when people need it most. Susan is a shining example of that. And in case you don’t know our sheriff, he’s exactly the same.

So thank you to everyone who gave what they could. And thank you to Susan and Bill for going well above and beyond.

Before I wrap up, I want to mention SouthStar Bank. They’ve set up a relief fund, and it’s a matching fund — whatever you give for Kerr County, they’ll match it, doubling your impact. Stop by any of their locations if you want to help.

Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Bill. And thank you to everyone featured on our front page. Y’all rock.