Hey everyone... a little over a year since Harvey changed everything

[southerngale]

Hey guys... long time, no see. My life has been crazy since Harvey. I know Jason gave y'all some updates while everything was happening, and I appreciate all the prayers. Harvey changed everything. I live in a sub-division with approximately 500 houses. Some of the houses have flooded in past heavy rain events, but it is usually the same houses. My house was built in 1960 and had never flooded. Harvey hit on Saturday, August 26th. On Sunday, a few houses here took on water. Of course, everyone knows the rain just kept falling and falling. By Monday, the 28th, quite a few more houses were underwater. There's only one way out of my sub-division and the end of my road was flooding, put passable. We had lost power Sunday night and we were able to leave Monday afternoon and stock up on gas. We had 34 gallons of gas for the generator, ready to ride it out until the power came back on. In hindsight, we should have evacuated, but we did not think our house would flood. We had already received a lot of rain and we were still ok. The generator kept a window unit on, the refrigerator, freezer, etc. The rain had let up a little. We were going to be ok. We all know about the stall and how the rain just kept pounding SE TX. Even as Harvey moved to our east, all of the heavy rain was on the west side. No matter where Harvey was, SE TX was on the "dirty side" it seemed. It would not let up. I was up all night Monday night, watching the radar, reading updates, etc. There are some houses on my street that had flooded in the past and I knew which way the water came up. We live along Pine Island Bayou, which has had some notorious floods. I kept shining the flashlight in the backyard and could see water standing where I didn't think it should be. I started to get nervous. The rain let up briefly. After it let up, I noticed the ditches continue to swell and the yard was flooding. I still continued to concentrate on the backyard because if we were going to flood, I thought it would come from the back. I still didn't really think we'd flood, but I was nervous. It kept raining and raining and raining. I dozed off for a little while in the wee morning hours. I woke up before dawn, opened the front door and water was up to the door. I went to the back door and it was the same. Within minutes, it started coming in. I checked other rooms and it started seeping in from everywhere. It was still raining. Then it started rising quickly. I was in disbelief. I wasn't thinking clearly. Instead of trying to save stuff, I waded through the water outside, taking pictures and videos. I do not know why I didn't think to get pictures and precious memories and put them up high, but I didn't. Within a few hours, the water was knee deep. We all packed a bag. There were rescues going on and you could hear boats going by. About noon on Tuesday, the kids were rescued by airboat and taken to a school about 10 miles away, that had become a shelter. We stayed behind, thinking we could ride it out. I have a garage apartment, so we took some food, water, and supplies up there and planned to ride it out, thinking surely it would stop soon and start to recede. Boy were we wrong! The rain didn't stop. The water kept rising. We have a community group page on Facebook and everyone was sharing information, trying to figure out who was still there and who had evacuated, arranging rescues, etc. I posted updates and provided pictures for everyone and sadly, had to let people know that yes, their house had flooded. It kept raining, the water kept rising. About midnight Tuesday night, we went downstairs to add gas to the generator. We had originally put it on an end table on the patio, then raised it to a table about counter depth. About midnight, it was taking on water. Suddenly, a shuffleboard comes floating up, which gave us another 2 inches or so. The water about waist deep, it was pitch dark and very scary. No clue what all was in that water. The stairs to the garage apartment needed work before Harvey and with them just marinating in in that flood water, they made me nervous. I wanted to leave, but I hadn't heard any boats in a while. I still had cell service and continued to update family and friends and post on our community page. I knew people were trying to get us help. All night, the rain just kept falling and the water kept rising. I feared it would reach the garage apartment and/or the stairs would collapse. Eventually, I passed out from exhaustion. We had been working on the garage apartment and a lot of the floor was ripped up. We only had the small front room to take cover in. I slept in a chair. While wind definitely wasn't the main issue, there was some and it was scary in that little apartment. When I woke up, it was dead silent. No sound of the generator. I looked outside and it was devastating. The water had risen tremendously overnight and the generator was underwater. Nothing but water and the tops of houses as far as I could see. Garbage cans, debris, cars, floating. At the time, I had a brand new Chevy Malibu. When the water first started entering the house Tuesday morning, we moved our vehicles to a neighbor's house across the street, down a few houses because the end of their driveway wasn't flooded at the time. We had hoped we were saving the cars by moving them to higher ground. It turned out to be futile. As I looked around, I had no idea how many people were still here. I wanted to leave. I was scared. I grabbed my phone to call for help and I had no service. So while I had been scared this whole time, at least I could get updates. I just prayed. Finally, sometime Wednesday afternoon, I heard a boat approaching. It was coming in my backyard and the men hollered out if anyone was here. I hollered back and they came up to the garage apartment and picked us up. My little sub-division, which is off Hwy 105, between Beaumont and Sour Lake, consists of houses, a little store, a park, a golf course, a volunteer fire department, and a tiny church. We were taken to the church where I saw there were indeed, others being rescued. Everyone was taken to the church, where they had airboats coming and going to get everyone out of the community. We were there a few hours, waiting our turn on a boat. The church was built high, but it started taking on water as we were all there. An airboat took us to a little blue building on Hwy 105, where there were other people. It was a very small stretch not underwater (yet). From there, a big truck took us about 1/2 mile or so where a little aluminum boat took us the rest of the way to Sour Lake. Then a school bus took us to a church in Sour Lake that was just opening up as a shelter. The community center already had people, but it was full, so they were just bringing in supplies as we arrived. We were soaking wet, nasty, tired, hungry, thirsty, miserable, but glad to be alive and finally out of the water. I was in shock. I couldn't believe this was happening. It was so surreal. I had the clothes on my back and a small duffle bag. That's all I owned now. The house was completely underwater, the cars were flooded, everything was gone. I didn't know what was going to happen next or where I would go. We had no vehicles, no way to go anywhere. Within the next few days, I walked to the public library and registered with FEMA. Sour Lake, or a part of it, which is a tiny town to begin with, had become a little island. Every direction out (Hwy 105 and Hwy 326) were flooded and impassable. We were in the shelter for 5 days and then FEMA gave us lodging. We couldn't find anything available. Finally, we found a hole in the wall motel in Woodville with an opening. It was about an hour north of Sour Lake. We had no way to get there. Ironic enough, a friend that I used to work with was housesitting for a friend in Sour Lake when Harvey hit and she was trapped in a shelter in Sour Lake as the house she was staying in flooded. She was nice enough to let us borrow her car to go reserve the room. We had filed claims on our vehicles and we could get a rental, but nobody had any. Finally, I found one in Houston, and again, she let us borrow her car to go get the rental. We had wheels! While in the shelter, so many blessings occurred. First of all, the volunteers cooked for us daily, people in the surrounding area donated clothes, shoes, supplies, food, water, etc. Remember we had lost power Sunday night. I hadn't showered since then. I took a baby wipe bath Wednesday night in the shelter. I felt so nasty. Thursday night, we were taken to a volunteer's house for a real shower. That was the best shower I've ever had! The blessings kept coming. Someone I went to school with, who now lives in the Dallas area, contacted me and said they were collecting donations and asked where I was because she wanted to help her former friends and classmates. She rented a big truck and her and several others, brought an enormous amount of clothes, shoes, food, water, Gatorade, toiletries, etc. Students of hers had made care packages for other kids. I swear, I could go on and on for hours, but I feel like I'm just rambling. So all in all, we had about 60 inches of rain, which is unprecedented. There are 4 sub-divisions in about a 4-5 mile stretch along Hwy 105 (Northwest Forest, Bevil Oaks, Pinewood, and Countrywood). Every single house flooded and far beyond in both directions. Hwy 105 was flooded from our area all the way to Sour Lake, and the houses and businesses along the way. Hwy 105 was also flooded from our area all the way to Beaumont. It is simply unbelievable how large of an area was flooded, and flooded bad. Our community was underwater well over a week. You couldn't get to it. It was 11 days before we were allowed in to see the damage. It looked like a war zone. During the time we couldn't get in, reports came out the water in our sub-division had been tested for high amounts of e-coli. They said to throw everything out. And of course the water sat there so long, everything was molded. It was an unbelievable, traumatic sight. Over the coming weeks, we gutted out the house and everything we owned was by the ditch and piled up in the yard. We lost everything, but we were alive and I know that's the most important thing. While it's just "stuff," losing pictures, family heirlooms, etc. is the hardest part. They can't be replaced and I blame myself for going into shock and not saving that stuff. Like I said earlier, I could go on for hours...
I wanted to say hi to everyone and I'm sorry I haven't been on here. A lot of other stuff has happened, including a bad wreck in March (in my brand new car) and I continue to have medical issues from that wreck. 2017 and 2018 have not been kind. My house is still down to concrete and studs. It's going to be a long time before we're back in the house. After the motel in Woodville, we were in an apartment in Beaumont for about 3 months and we've been living in a FEMA trailer in our driveway since January. We had 2 groups show up to help us gut the house, one group from Louisiana and another from Oklahoma. Although we are still devastated from everything, we do feel blessed by the outpouring of love and kindness by strangers. Every time it rains, or watching the tropics as I still do, my stomach turns. I've been through hurricanes, tropical storms, etc., but Harvey brought a new respect for the weather to me. I know I will never trust predictions again. The weather is going to do what it wants to do and nobody knows for sure what that is. An enormous amount of rain was predicted for Harvey, but widespread 50-60" in my area was not. I'll leave you with a simple phrase that has taken off in SE TX... Harvey sucks!

[galaxy401]

Very great to hear from you Southerngale. Yeah, we heard from Jason about what was going on during Harvey. That is just a living nightmare you went through. Floods are some of the most terrifying experiences and being right in the worst of it must of been gut-wrenching. I was frequently thinking of you during the past year and hoping you were doing okay.

It's been a very painful recovery but I give you my prayers and hope things improve drastically for you. Sorry for your huge loss......

[beoumont]

I recall that just prior to landfall, some NWS rainfall estimates predicted up to 50 inches of rain was possible. At the time, those predictions seemed off the wall to me.

[Nederlander]

Thanks for sharing SG. It has definitely been a living hell for us here in SETX. Some people don’t realize that after the media is gone and unaffected people move on, there is still a grueling road to travel for those affected. I built a brand new house (my first) that we moved into Late December 2016. I never thought that 8 months later, water would be coming inside of it. We did not live in a flood plain (was told by insurance agents that flood insurance would be a waste, lol, so I didn’t have it). I live near the Jack Brooks airport. The rain gauge that measured the highest ever in the U.S. (60.58”) was just a few hundred years behind my house. We were going to stay because I never thought we’d flood. Monday, the water was not going down even when there were slowdowns in rainfall rates. So we left Monday afternoon when we had a chance to barely get out of the neighborhood. I too, did not think to try and save photos, etc. It weird because you are always told to do that when facing a storm, but when you are living it, it turns to protecting lives instead of “things”. We safely evacuated to a family members residence about an hour North in Kirbyville. The whole time, we were not sure of the status of our home, but feared the worst due to reports of rescues in the neighborhood. We were unable to make it back until late Saturday, and my worst nightmare was realized. While it was difficult, the outpouring of support and the blessings received along the way are nothing short of miraculous. It’s just another reason I am proud to be from Texas - people help people. At any rate, we are still a long ways away from being back 100%, but it will happen, for us, for SG, and for everyone in SETX affected by Harvey.

[wxGuy]

I do also recall the prediction of 50-60" widespread as well. With how the precipitation models were looking at time for 5-7 days Pre Harvey Landall, you could see how much moisture was coming. You could have easily drove around the entire SETX and seen that every ditch and canal was already full before Harvey. Even weeks before Harvey we had lots of rainfall keep the ground soaking wet and saturated. I Evacuated Friday August 25 based on models and my own analysis. Thank god for tropicaltidbits & storm2k! If I would have listened to Greg Bostwick that Friday morning I would have been stuck in my flooded house for days.

[jasons2k]

My God, just reading this gives me chills. I remember when I heard your neighborhood was flooding, and you were still trapped. When your phone died...I just can't describe how that felt on the other end. At one point, I had a sinking feeling and I literally feared for your life. It made me nauseated. Even though I had reached out to the Cajun Navy through a few different channels, I don't believe I've ever felt so helpless & such total despair in my whole life. I had a total meltdown/breakdown in front of my family. I still can't comprehend this all happened. I am so sorry about your things and your house, but I am thankful you were all rescued and survived this hell.

[nutkin517]

I am so glad to log on and hear from you! I know there is a long ways to go, but I am glad to hear that you are recovering.


I am in Old Town Beaumont and we were very lucky in that our street didn't flood (except for a few hours the Sunday before) and a few hours on Tuesday when the power went off and the pumps went down. I could watch on TV and see on Facebook and Twitter everyone begging for help and it was just so surreal. I heard helicopters every few minutes for days on end, it seemed like. It is so crazy for me to realize how close the real flooding was to us. Houses down the street from me flooded severely, but we are on the side of the street that is kind of uphill, so all of the water flowed downward.

And then we lost our water supply that Friday. I have had a big obsession with stocking up on water since then. You don't realize how much you use water until you don't have it and it is impossible to get.

We were cut off from everywhere else because all of the highways were flooded. As terrible as it was, the suffering of so many other people is so unimaginable. The city I grew up in (Vidor) was largely underwater and many family members lost everything.

[artist]

So glad to hear from you, southerngale, Nederlander, and all. We were so concerned for you, as well as msbee, cycloneye and all others in the path. I pray all of you recover soon.

[southerngale]

:cry:

Very great to hear from you Southerngale. Yeah, we heard from Jason about what was going on during Harvey. That is just a living nightmare you went through. Floods are some of the most terrifying experiences and being right in the worst of it must of been gut-wrenching. I was frequently thinking of you during the past year and hoping you were doing okay.

It's been a very painful recovery but I give you my prayers and hope things improve drastically for you. Sorry for your huge loss......

Thanks, galaxy401. It's been crazy. It's going to be a long recovery for a lot of people. It's still just so surreal. I just pray that none of these systems head this direction.

[southerngale]

Thanks for sharing SG. It has definitely been a living hell for us here in SETX. Some people don’t realize that after the media is gone and unaffected people move on, there is still a grueling road to travel for those affected. I built a brand new house (my first) that we moved into Late December 2016. I never thought that 8 months later, water would be coming inside of it. We did not live in a flood plain (was told by insurance agents that flood insurance would be a waste, lol, so I didn’t have it). I live near the Jack Brooks airport. The rain gauge that measured the highest ever in the U.S. (60.58”) was just a few hundred years behind my house. We were going to stay because I never thought we’d flood. Monday, the water was not going down even when there were slowdowns in rainfall rates. So we left Monday afternoon when we had a chance to barely get out of the neighborhood. I too, did not think to try and save photos, etc. It weird because you are always told to do that when facing a storm, but when you are living it, it turns to protecting lives instead of “things”. We safely evacuated to a family members residence about an hour North in Kirbyville. The whole time, we were not sure of the status of our home, but feared the worst due to reports of rescues in the neighborhood. We were unable to make it back until late Saturday, and my worst nightmare was realized. While it was difficult, the outpouring of support and the blessings received along the way are nothing short of miraculous. It’s just another reason I am proud to be from Texas - people help people. At any rate, we are still a long ways away from being back 100%, but it will happen, for us, for SG, and for everyone in SETX affected by Harvey.

Although I shed many tears for what I was going through and others around me, you are correct, the blessings we have received, and continue to receive, have been amazing. Strangers put their own lives in danger to rescue those of us who needed rescuing. I will never forget the many great things that I witnessed and will be forever grateful for many people. Good luck with your recovery.

[syfr]

Thank you for coming back and posting. I kept you in prayers during that storm and I am glad to know you are safe, even though the trauma!

John

[JSDS]

I am so glad to see you back with us!!! I totally understand the grief of losing everything, mixed with the thankfulness that you survived. I lost almost everything in the "no name storm" that hit Louisiana in 2016, but I am now back home. I had a slight meltdown around Christmas when I looked around my house and it wasn't "my tree", with "my ornaments", and it was surrounded by different furniture, window coverings, etc. The grief of that was very real, and losing my lifetime collection of Christmas ornaments, including some of my Mom's and some made by my kids, is still hard to think about, but the feeling of grief was followed by thankfulness that I was back home, even though home didn't feel the same. There are many people, including my son, who are still working on their houses 2 years after the fact, and FEMA trailers still dot the landscape. Both "no name" and Harvey caused events that will change us forever, but I am here to encourage you that things WILL get better.

[southerngale]

My God, just reading this gives me chills. I remember when I heard your neighborhood was flooding, and you were still trapped. When your phone died...I just can't describe how that felt on the other end. At one point, I had a sinking feeling and I literally feared for your life. It made me nauseated. Even though I had reached out to the Cajun Navy through a few different channels, I don't believe I've ever felt so helpless & such total despair in my whole life. I had a total meltdown/breakdown in front of my family. I still can't comprehend this all happened. I am so sorry about your things and your house, but I am thankful you were all rescued and survived this hell.

Jason, I so appreciate everything you did as well as your prayers. When we were trying to get out and had no service and felt such despair, I took comfort in knowing that you and others had been trying to send help. That was the scariest time of my life, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? All of these systems now make me ill. I hope 95L and Isaac stay far away, and I am praying those in the path of Florence heed the warnings and get out. Tropical rains for days on end is nothing to play around with. It's life-altering.

[southerngale]

I am so glad to log on and hear from you! I know there is a long ways to go, but I am glad to hear that you are recovering.


I am in Old Town Beaumont and we were very lucky in that our street didn't flood (except for a few hours the Sunday before) and a few hours on Tuesday when the power went off and the pumps went down. I could watch on TV and see on Facebook and Twitter everyone begging for help and it was just so surreal. I heard helicopters every few minutes for days on end, it seemed like. It is so crazy for me to realize how close the real flooding was to us. Houses down the street from me flooded severely, but we are on the side of the street that is kind of uphill, so all of the water flowed downward.

And then we lost our water supply that Friday. I have had a big obsession with stocking up on water since then. You don't realize how much you use water until you don't have it and it is impossible to get.

We were cut off from everywhere else because all of the highways were flooded. As terrible as it was, the suffering of so many other people is so unimaginable. The city I grew up in (Vidor) was largely underwater and many family members lost everything.

Thanks, nutkin! I'm glad you fared better than many others. It is just unreal how much of the area was completely underwater. It's insane and I pray we never go through anything even remotely close to that ever again.

[southerngale]

So glad to hear from you, southerngale, Nederlander, and all. We were so concerned for you, as well as cycloneye. I pray all of you recover soon.

Thanks, artist. I remember Jason mentioned you asked about me. Your prayers are very much appreciated.

[southerngale]

I do also recall the prediction of 50-60" widespread as well. With how the precipitation models were looking at time for 5-7 days Pre Harvey Landall, you could see how much moisture was coming. You could have easily drove around the entire SETX and seen that every ditch and canal was already full before Harvey. Even weeks before Harvey we had lots of rainfall keep the ground soaking wet and saturated. I Evacuated Friday August 25 based on models and my own analysis. Thank god for tropicaltidbits & storm2k! If I would have listened to Greg Bostwick that Friday morning I would have been stuck in my flooded house for days.

I wish I had left when you did. I honestly didn't think my house would flood. I was only off by about 5 1/2 feet.

[southerngale]

Thank you for coming back and posting. I kept you in prayers during that storm and I am glad to know you are safe, even though the trauma!

John

Thank you for the prayers, John. They worked!

[southerngale]

I am so glad to see you back with us!!! I totally understand the grief of losing everything, mixed with the thankfulness that you survived. I lost almost everything in the "no name storm" that hit Louisiana in 2016, but I am now back home. I had a slight meltdown around Christmas when I looked around my house and it wasn't "my tree", with "my ornaments", and it was surrounded by different furniture, window coverings, etc. The grief of that was very real, and losing my lifetime collection of Christmas ornaments, including some of my Mom's and some made by my kids, is still hard to think about, but the feeling of grief was followed by thankfulness that I was back home, even though home didn't feel the same. There are many people, including my son, who are still working on their houses 2 years after the fact, and FEMA trailers still dot the landscape. Both "no name" and Harvey caused events that will change us forever, but I am here to encourage you that things WILL get better.

Thanks, JSDS. I'm glad to hear you are recovering. Yeah, it's the sentimental things that really get to me. Furniture, appliances, etc. can be replaced, but those treasured items that are gone forever spark meltdowns with me occasionally. And I can be driving around and suddenly recall being in that same spot in a boat and I get all shook up again. I have nightmares about it occasionally. I guess it just takes time.

[Tireman4]

Glad to see you back. Long long time no hear!!

[RBDnhm]

Thank you for your post Southerngale. I checked my membership and see you signed the thank you in 2007 (after Rita and before Ike.) They both were bad but Harvey did not compare - it was a bear. Harvey does suck.

As a Lumbertonian, I can sympathise with most of what you wrote (no car wrecks here, yet). I hope all is well and I believe that God is with you. I have learned from Harvey how we all need each other and that God does provide (our pastor graciously let us stay with him for 10 days after Harvey.)

Have you stopped losing things yet? I told my wife (after being evacuated in a jon boat from our house to the National Guard trucks) that neither of us could get mad at the other if we could not find something. I think that was the best idea Harvey gave me.