Wind damage forces Brazos Bend State Park to close through July 1

The damage from a powerful windstorm June 6 at Brazos Bend State Park. Trees were uprooted and strewn across trails. The park is not expected to re-open until July 1. The damage from a powerful windstorm June 6 at Brazos Bend State Park. Trees were uprooted and strewn across trails. The park is not expected to re-open until July 1. Photo: Texas Parks And Wildlife Photo: Texas Parks And Wildlife Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close Wind damage forces Brazos Bend State Park to close through July 1 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

A powerful windstorms over the weekend forced Brazos Bend State Park to close until July 1, after park officials initially planned to re-open next week, according to a news release.

Park workers had been cleaning debris out of the area since a flood on May 8. The June 18 re-opening date went out the window after the windstorm knocked down trees, many of which fell directly on trails, park officials said.

>>> Click through the slideshow to see what the park looked like after the flood

"Our focus has now been re-directed towards getting the trails cleared of these fallen trees," Assistant Park Superintendent Jason Castle said in the release.

Castle said the flooding cleanup was coming to an end when the windstorm struck. The winds reset debris and uprooted some large trees, the release said.

"Our number one priority is public safety," Park Superintendent Chris Bishop said. "We want to be certain that we are providing both a safe environment and a quality park experience before we re-open the park to public use."

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.