The Texas Panhandle is one of those areas where it is the beef capital of the world, and when devastating natural disasters hit, it can cripple an economy. In 2023 and 2024, the Texas Panhandle was affected by floods and wildfires.
How Floods Devastated the Texas Panhandle
In 2023, torrential rain settled over the Texas Panhandle, dropping inches of rain without letting up. Amarillo and the surrounding areas were all flooded. Areas like the Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge flooded, filling the dry lake for the first time in decades. It also flooded normally dry creeks, including Tierra Blanca Creek, sending floods into Hereford.
The Hereford flood devastated the community and flooded nearby feedlots. These floods killed thousands of head of cattle.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire and Its Impact
In February 2024, the Texas Panhandle experienced the worst wildfire in Texas history and the second worst in the U.S. The Smokehouse Creek Fire destroyed over a million acres and more than 15,000 head of cattle.
Livestock producers are still feeling the effects of these losses even a year or two later.
However, help is now available for those affected by the floods and wildfires…