Former Habersham County teacher offers firsthand account of Hurricane Harvey

Priscilla Chastain of Cypress, Texas, formerly of Habersham, is weathering the storm in Texas with her son, Levi. The two moved to the Houston suburb several years ago after Chastain took a job teaching French at Cypress Park High School.

When she left the mountains of Northeast Georgia for the coastal plains of Texas, Chastain says she never imagined she and her son, now a high school senior, would find themselves battling floods so close to Houston; but that’s exactly what they and hundreds of thousands of others are doing as tropical storm Harvey continues to batter southeast Texas.

At least 30 deaths and many more injuries are being blamed on the storm. Harvey has dumped more than 50 inches of rain on parts of the region. In four days more than a trillion gallons of rain fell in Harris County where Chastain lives. Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeffrey Lindner told reporters that’s enough water to “run Niagara Falls for 15 days.”

The storm already is being declared “one of the largest disasters the U.S. has ever faced” by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and it’s not over yet. Harvey made a second landfall early Wednesday in southwest Louisiana. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to gradually weaken as it moves northeast, becoming a tropical depression by Wednesday night. More rain is expected through Friday.

Now Habersham reached out to Chastain for a firsthand account of what’s happening on the ground near her home. Her interview follows:

1) Where are you located and what are conditions like there? We are located in Cypress, Texas which is in Northwest Harris County (about 30 miles from downtown Houston).

2) How are you and your son, Levi, weathering the storm? Thankfully, we are doing well. Our home has not flooded and we have electricity and enough supplies. Many roads nearby have flooded and the retention ponds and reservoirs are nearly at capacity.

(3) What’s the general atmosphere like there in Texas? People here are very determined. I have seen a slogan that says ‘Houston Strong’ and I think that sums it up. We have seen reports of neighbors helping neighbors and doing whatever is necessary to help each other stay safe regardless of race, socioeconomic background, etc.

4) You’re a teacher. How is this impacting schools in your area? We had just completed our pre-service days and our classrooms and schools were in pristine condition and ready to welcome our students. The start of school has been delayed until next Tuesday (Sept. 5). However, I’ve seen pictures of many schools in my district that are flooded, so I’m worried that the cleanup effort will take longer. Fortunately, the sun is shining right now and the rain has stopped for the moment; however, there is still so much water everywhere. I think it will take a while before the water recedes and people are able to even get started on any type of clean up.

5) Describe your Hurricane Harvey experience from the moment you first heard the warnings to today? Honestly, I didn’t take the forecasts very seriously to begin with. We hear of storms in the Gulf a lot. Normally, we get a few showers and life goes on. After the insistence of my mother, I went to the grocery store last Thursday night to get gas and some bottled water. I was shocked to see shelves bare from people stocking up on certain items. When I went to school on Friday, the approaching hurricane was the main concern for everyone including my building principal and district officials. They decided to let us work through lunch so that we could leave early on Friday to make arrangements for the storm. By this time, everyone in my area had gotten into panic mode. Stores were out of water and everyone was stocking up on everything from meat to alcohol to gas.

The rain started Friday afternoon and has continued until today. By Saturday evening, we started hearing reports of what had happened on the coast. And the rain in Houston continued to fall and the floodwaters continued to rise. Floods are somewhat common in Houston. We were here for the tax day flood in 2016, but nothing could have prepared us for what we have seen this time. Thousands of people have lost their homes and everything that they have. The water just keeps coming and flooding everything in its path. It is so unreal to see downtown Houston…the 4th largest city in the country…underwater. Everything is closed. A few grocery stores will open for a couple of hours and people wait in line for hours to get what remains on the mostly bare shelves. Gas stations have no gas. Stores are running out of supplies and trucks can’t get through to bring more items.

Many have questioned whether the mayor should have put an evacuation order in place for the city of Houston and surrounding areas. However, how do 4 million people leave town at such a short notice? At the George R. Brown Convention Center alone, over 9000 people have sought shelter. Churches around the city have opened their doors to receive people. The owner of a Gallery Furniture store has opened his store and allowed people to sleep on the display furniture. Local people have brought boats to help authorities rescue people from their homes. People from Louisiana came all this way to help as well.

I have a friend in Houston who is from another country, and he was shocked to see civilians in boats rescuing other civilians. He said, “Priscilla, this country has the world’s largest military. Why aren’t they here rescuing people? In the movies, if there is a disaster, the military sweeps in and saves everyone. Where are they now?” Honestly, I did not know how to respond. I have heard on TV that there are members from the National Guard here, but I actually haven’t seen their presence. I’m sure they are here helping, but it doesn’t seem to be enough for a catastrophe of this size.

6) What are the greatest needs in your community? I know that displaced residents need clothing, food, toiletries, baby formula, diapers, etc.

7) What’s the best way that people here in Habersham can help meet those needs? Honestly, the best way is to donate to the American Red Cross. They have been the first boots on the ground to respond to the thousands in need. I know there have been a lot of warnings about fake organizations that will try to take advantage of the situation. So if someone wants to help, please work with a reputable organization so that the aid will actually make it to those in need.

8) When you moved from Habersham County to Texas did you ever expect you’d be caught up in something like this? When I moved to Houston, I had no idea that flooding was such an issue. Being close to the Gulf, I knew that hurricanes were a possibility, but I thought that Houston was far enough inland that it wouldn’t be a problem. After the tax day flood of 2016 and now this, I see what a crisis this is for Houston. I don’t know what can be done to help this situation, but I feel that it is urgent for Houston authorities to work towards a solution to protect the citizens from future disasters.

9) Anything else you’d like to say to your friends and family in Northeast Georgia? I would like to say thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts. I have received so many texts, phone calls, and messages where friends and family in NE Georgia were checking on us and letting us know that they were praying for us throughout this time. Thank God we are safe and sound. Please continue to pray for all of the people of Houston and Texas. The recovery and cleanup will be a long road, but the resilience of the people here is amazing.