Hill Country Chronicle

DEL RIO – Val Verde County residents couldn’t find anything to disinfect their homes on local stores’ shelves, so the county brought free liquid disinfectant to them.

Six separate sites on Wednesday and five sites on Thursday served as county distribution centers. County residents could take home up to four gallons of the disinfectant in their own plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.

The distribution began a day after Del Rio had its first reported case of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, people started arriving more than an hour before the distribution’s scheduled 9 a.m. start, the Del Rio News-Herald said. They lined up at the old Fisherman’s Headquarters, Roy Musquiz Park, the Val Verde Community Center, Brown Plaza, the county fairgrounds, and Comstock.

On Thursday crowds were smaller at all the locations except Fisherman’s Headquarters. That north side location was changed to a large vacant lot between U.S. Highway 277 and U.S. 90, off State Loop 79.

Oralia Gallegos picked up the free liquid disinfectant from Brown Plaza in south Del Rio on Thursday morning after not being able to find any bleach on local stores’ shelves.

“There wasn’t any anywhere. I have six kids, and they’re all over the house, so I really need this,” she told Del Rio News-Herald. “I think it’s a good idea that the county is doing this. I think it’s good for the whole community.”

Velma Treviño lives close to the Precinct 1 site. She came back on Thursday after seeing long lines stretch from Brown Plaza down Garza Street.

“I’m going to use this to clean everything at my house and make sure we clean things when we come back in from the outside,” she said to the Del Rio News-Herald.

The 18,000 gallons of sodium hypochlorite – the same chemical used in commercial bleach – was mixed March 24. As it lacks additives and stabilizers used to lengthen shelf life, county officials recommended that residents use it within seven days.

Members of County Commissioner Beau Nettleton’s Precinct 3 work crew set up the Fisherman’s Headquarters disinfectant distribution station on Wednesday with Rowland Garza, the county’s emergency management director. Nettleton’s crew wore protective gear including Tyvek jumpsuits, gloves, face masks and face shields.

Crews were up until 4 a.m. on Wednesday mixing the disinfectant, Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. told the Del Rio News-Herald. 

“We just called the owner of the truck that makes this, and as long as we need it here, it will stay here," he said. "We’re going to do everything we can to make sure people get what they need.”