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Houston Togetherness

Houston Strong A city coming together in the midst of disaster

Hurricane Harvey was a category four storm that devastated Texas on August 25, 2017. It affected millions of people throughout Houston, including other nearby cities. Harvey made landfall three times in less than a week. Hurricane Harvey caused flooding and forced 39,000 people out of their homes and into shelters. Harvey lasted six days and has been one of the most massive natural disasters in Houston history. Hurricane Harvey was a disaster that affected all who live in Houston. Hurricane Harvey left millions of people homeless, yet the city overcame by

helping

one

another.

I have lived in Houston my entire life and have never seen a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey. My family and I were affected by the hurricane and had struggled to get our home back in order like many others. Many friends, family, neighbors, and strangers have helped out as we tried to save what we could and repair the rest. While my family and I were struggling, we also made time to help others who were affected by the hurricane as well. I've conducted research and an interview with a dear friend who suffered and found hope, after the storm, and have read stories about Houstonians helping one another. Although many residents suffered through Harvey, I want to discuss details of the hurricane itself, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and how a city came together in the midst of disaster. Hurricane Harvey was a category four storm that made landfall on August 25, 2017. Hurricane Harvey developed on August 17 as a moderate tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico. It originated from a wave off the coast of Africa on August 13. Hurricane Harvey first made landfall in San

Houston Togetherness Jose Island, August 25 as a category four hurricane. It threatened millions of residents with winds of 130-mph and extremely heavy rains. There were reports of “numerous structures destroyed” and buildings that collapsed with people trapped inside," said a reporter from Univision. Hurricane Harvey was a nightmare for all Houston residents, but it only worsened as time went by. Many Houstonians were devastated after the disaster that Hurricane Harvey left behind. During this horrifying event, 88 people died from the storm as of October 13, 2017. Hurricane Harvey caused so much flooding that it forced 39,000 people out of their homes and into shelters such as the Toyota Center, Gallery Furniture, local churches, local schools, and many other facilities. One of those residents was Jenneth Gilmore who was homeless and stayed at a local church along with her family and was three weeks away from getting married. I recently interviewed Jenneth Oliveras, now Gilmore who went through this awful period in her life. “A bride to be should be worried about her perfect wedding and not on how she’s losing her home,” said Gilmore. Gilmore is a teacher, missionary, and a wife who along with her husband lost their cars, their new home and everything inside. Gilmore was preparing what was left for her wedding when she heard about Hurricane Harvey making landfall in Houston. “We've had hurricanes before, and I was here when they happened, so I figured that it wasn't going to be a big deal,” said Gilmore. Gilmore also said, "We had just bought a home near the memorial area, and it was beautiful. I could see our lives there. It was a new and fresh start. We had already had all our boxes of clothes and furniture in our new home.” I had the opportunity to interview not only Gilmore but also her mother, Teresa Garcia. Garcia lives in Katy along with her daughter Romi. “All I could think of was, ‘How am I going to get out of

Houston Togetherness this? We just got out of the storm from the year before. This entire neighborhood got flooded when the storm passed by two years ago in April.’”, said Garcia. “I remember walking to the store… walking because again, the streets were flooded, and was not able to find milk, eggs, bread, fruit, cheese, and vegetables. The stores were running out of food.", said Gilmore. The majority of roads were blocked, destroyed, or flooded for a week. That meant that trucks or food transportation were being delayed and grocery stores were running out of food. The aftermath was horrifying as many lost their homes due to the flooding and others were running out of food, but the city of Houston came together to help one another. "My husband went to volunteer with Hope City [local church in Memorial area] a little after the storm passed. The church had individuals who owned motorboats, and we're going around the memorial area saving families and family pets from their flooded homes.", said Gilmore.

“This was a nightmare. I could not comprehend what was going on or why, but I knew that God was and still is greater than my fears and worries and that brought me peace in the middle of all. My family [Jenneth, Romi, and Pete] and I walked to the nearest church and began helping out. Whether it was distributing clothes and food or going to neighborhoods and helping others clean the mess.”, said Garcia. Despite the flooding and residents being homeless all of a sudden, the city came together in the midst of disaster. Many individuals stepped in to help out. Residents began to take their boats out to search for residents, children, seniors or disabled adults were being rescued from their flooded homes as well as pets. Friends and strangers from nearby states were also making

Houston Togetherness the drive to Houston with their boats to help. Other residents donated food, clothes, and other supplies to shelters to help those who lost everything. After the flooding, churches, organizations, and

individuals

came

together

to

clean

damaged

homes

and

fix

them.

"After the flood, I went to check my home. I was extremely devastated as I saw everything destroyed. You could see how high the water had gotten. I loved my furniture, my car, electronics… I lost everything in this storm", said Garcia. "But I looked on the bright side. I was alive, and I was ok. My daughter and I were able to escape before the water had rised and that was all that mattered," said Garcia. Garcia received help from local churches such as Hope City and nearby neighbors and family. Garcia lost everything but Houston, which she calls home, came

to

the

rescue

to

lend

a

hand.

A year later, Gilmore and Garcia have recuperated their homes but it's not the same anymore as they lost sentimental items in flood. “There are things that we cannot get back. We lost our family photos, my great-grandmother’s food recipes, and my wedding dress from many years ago, but we still carry does memories with us”, said Garcia. The Texas Tribune visited families who have been working to rebuild their lives and homes for the past 12 months. Many families like Garcia and Gilmore have taken on massive debt to restore what has been left of their homes. "My husband and I have decided to take on flood insurance to cover any damage that will come our way. We love our home city, but it's Houston. You never know what type of weather you'll get here. One day it's sunny and the next it's raining", said Gilmore. Despite the heavy rains that Hurricane Harvey had brought, many Harvey victims such as Gilmore and Garcia, have discovered a new faith in their fellow Texans

Houston Togetherness who

have

been

gracious

to

help

rebuild

homes,

which

may

take

years.

Till this day, there are many areas in Houston that have not been able to recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. In specific, low-income and minority residents have had a harder time to get back on their feet. “To date, 3,990 volunteers have worked a total of 30,800 hours on 419 assessments in addition to 399 projects, which include: 132 clean-outs, sanitized 118 homes, demolished 36 homes and repaired 113 homes.” -AttackPoverty.org Friends of Northside, a nonprofit organization located in North of Houston is still working to rebuild homes and help those who have suffered from Hurricane Harvey. Hurricane Harvey is one of the worst natural disasters that the state of Texas has ever had as it destroyed everything in its path and more. The aftermath was horrifying as it forced many residents into shelters, but the city of Houston came together in the midst of disaster. Hurricane Harvey left thousands of people homeless, yet the town overcame by helping one another. Because

of

the

tragedy,

we're

reminded

that

we

are

Houston

Strong.

Houston Togetherness

Reference 2017 Hurricane Harvey: Facts, FAQs, and how to help. (2018, September 14). Retrieved from https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/hurricane-harvey-facts Amadeo, K. (n.d.). Hurricane Harvey Shows How Climate Change Can Impact the Economy. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/hurricane-harvey-facts-damage-costs-4150087 Disaster Recovery. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://attackpoverty.org/disaster-recovery/ Fernandez, M., & Panich-linsman, I. (2018, September 03). A Year After Hurricane Harvey, Houston’s Poorest Neighborhoods Are Slowest to Recover. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/03/us/hurricane-harvey-houston.html Spychalsky, A. (2018, June 15). 11 Incredible Ways Texas Came Together During The Hurricane Harvey Aftermath. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/11-incredible-ways-texas-cametogether-during-the-hurricane-harvey-aftermath-79301...