Repairing Our Home After Harvey
Donation protected
I have lived in my home for 47 years. My husband has lived in our home for 22 years. Our daughter has lived in our home for 21 years. All three of our lives were drastically changed when on Sunday August 27th we were evaced out of our home. We took two of our pets with us but we were forced to leave three more pets at home.
Hurricane Harvey blindsided the city of Houston with its intensity and destructive power. For us it started with just some rain and overnight it turned a once familiar and comforting street into a strange and terrifying river. Within hours the water was creeping into and invading our home. At the suggestion of friends and neighbors we applied for FEMA not knowing that a few hours later we were going to be evaced out of our home.
Leaving was one of the hardest things for us to do. Knowing that we couldn't take three of our animals. Knowing that we would most likely lose everything in our home. Knowing that we might not have a home for us to come back to. As we sat and waited for any chance of rescue we listened to the sound of water filling our walls. We listened to the scared cries of our three dogs in the backyard. We listened to the sound of sirens in the distance. It felt like an eternity to us. It felt like a dream. It still does. It felt like we were watching this happen to someone else.
We were lucky enough to have a family friend that picked us up after we were evaced who has also allowed us to stay with their family. We have also been lucky enough to check on the condition of our home. While our three dogs are doing well the home isn't. We had knee high water in our home. We lost all of our furniture including our beds and family heirlooms.
We were unlucky enough to not have had insurance. We had to make a decision between insurance and my many medical bills. I had my first heart attack twelve years ago and I've had another since then. I have been epileptic for nineteen years and an insulin dependent diabetic for almost twenty-two years. Stage one congestive heart failure and deaf in one ear. I take over twenty pills a day plus five shots of insulin everyday.
Our hurricane story is not much different than a lot of families in Houston right now. It isn't even very different from the other families who have been affected by the hurricane in our own neighborhood. We have friends who are helping us clear out everything that was ruined in our house. People all over Texas, have come together and started putting things back to, or as close to, normal as possible. Whether they are Texans or The Texans(my favourite team), that is what Texas does though we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start fixing things.
We don't have it the worst. We all made it through the hurricane alive. We can fix our house and buy new furniture, but we can't do it alone. We need help.
Thank you for listening to our story
Mary, Floyd, and Chelsey Smith
Hurricane Harvey blindsided the city of Houston with its intensity and destructive power. For us it started with just some rain and overnight it turned a once familiar and comforting street into a strange and terrifying river. Within hours the water was creeping into and invading our home. At the suggestion of friends and neighbors we applied for FEMA not knowing that a few hours later we were going to be evaced out of our home.
Leaving was one of the hardest things for us to do. Knowing that we couldn't take three of our animals. Knowing that we would most likely lose everything in our home. Knowing that we might not have a home for us to come back to. As we sat and waited for any chance of rescue we listened to the sound of water filling our walls. We listened to the scared cries of our three dogs in the backyard. We listened to the sound of sirens in the distance. It felt like an eternity to us. It felt like a dream. It still does. It felt like we were watching this happen to someone else.
We were lucky enough to have a family friend that picked us up after we were evaced who has also allowed us to stay with their family. We have also been lucky enough to check on the condition of our home. While our three dogs are doing well the home isn't. We had knee high water in our home. We lost all of our furniture including our beds and family heirlooms.
We were unlucky enough to not have had insurance. We had to make a decision between insurance and my many medical bills. I had my first heart attack twelve years ago and I've had another since then. I have been epileptic for nineteen years and an insulin dependent diabetic for almost twenty-two years. Stage one congestive heart failure and deaf in one ear. I take over twenty pills a day plus five shots of insulin everyday.
Our hurricane story is not much different than a lot of families in Houston right now. It isn't even very different from the other families who have been affected by the hurricane in our own neighborhood. We have friends who are helping us clear out everything that was ruined in our house. People all over Texas, have come together and started putting things back to, or as close to, normal as possible. Whether they are Texans or The Texans(my favourite team), that is what Texas does though we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start fixing things.
We don't have it the worst. We all made it through the hurricane alive. We can fix our house and buy new furniture, but we can't do it alone. We need help.
Thank you for listening to our story
Mary, Floyd, and Chelsey Smith
Organizer
Mary Ann Longoria Smith
Organizer
Houston, TX
