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Motiva, the largest crude oil refinery in the United States, can be seen in the distance from Port Arthur. Flood-damaged debris is piled outside of homes in the foreground. Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune
In cities, small towns and rural communities throughout southeast Texas, the floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey have receded, but mountains of debris remain. One month after the storm, people are living in tents and trailers or sleeping on the couches of friends and family as they take stock of the damage to their homes and wait for promised help to arrive. After the Category 4 storm made landfall near Rockport on Aug. 25, it lingered inland over the Gulf Coast for four days, dropping almost 50 inches of rain in the Port Arthur-Beaumont area alone.
Flood-damaged debris piles up outside of homes in Port Arthur. The city saw 47 inches of rain during Hurricane Harvey.
One of three approved debris removal sites in Port Arthur, where some residents have raised concerns about living close to the accumulating piles of waste. “It’s just not right,” said Tami Pinkney, who lives in a home across the street from one of the sites. “This is not safe. It’s just not safe.”
Guadalupe Carrillo sorts through flood-damaged items at her home in Port Arthur.
After Hurricane Harvey, floodwaters from the Neches River hit Rose City, a small community of about 500 people near Beaumont. The river crested at a record-breaking 19 feet. Along with nearly every home in the area, the city’s water system was inundated, and residents are still without running water.
“This is a total disaster,” said Carol Sue Smith, as she returned from a trip to Rose City’s city hall with provisions: soap, razors, water, and a hot meal. The only potable water in the community comes from two large tanks set up there; residents can fill up containers to take back to their homes.
A discarded gun safe sits atop a pile of debris in Rose City.
Carol Sue Smith is living in a tent behind her flood-damaged property in Rose City until she is able to make enough repairs to move in again.
Robert McLaughlin removes sheetrock from a flooded home with mold growing on the walls in Rose City.
Clarke Godkin bought an RV to use at his hunting lease about two years ago. Now it’s become his semi-permanent home while he figures out what to do with his damaged house in Rose City. “I feel blessed, even though we’ve lost everything. We’ve been here 20 years and lost everything. But some folks, they’ve lost everything and have nowhere to go.”
A Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center, where Harvey victims can register for assistance and find a number of other services from state, federal, and local organizations. Until Monday, when a third center opened in Hamshire, there were only two in Jefferson county – this one in Beaumont and another in Port Arthur. Ken Higginbotham, a FEMA spokesman in Beaumont, said flood damage was so extensive in the county that the agency had trouble finding suitable locations for the centers.
Veda Armstead takes a phone call outside of a Beaumont disaster recovery center. Armstead said she was able to save some clothing from her flooded house – a few items that were hanging or on high shelves – but everything else was “wiped out.” She’s moving between the homes of friends and relatives while she figures out whether she’ll be able to make repairs to her home.
Cinnamon Perry, seated left, said she would be living in a tent in a nearby RV park until she figured out what to do next after flooding destroyed her home in Winnie.
Crystal and Ollie Green rode their bikes to the Beaumont disaster recovery center, where they are seeking help after their apartment flooded.
Morgan Smith reports on politics and education for the Tribune, which she joined in November 2009. She writes about the effects of the state budget, school finance reform, accountability and testing in...
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