By KAITLYN NEFF
Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — A Barrackville native, who currently lives in Houston, shared her experiences during Hurricane Harvey and what is to come for the city.
(Submitted photo)
Hurricane Harvey hit Houston and surrounding areas hard, causing catastrophic flooding after making landfall on Friday, according to The Associated Press. The death toll in Texas sits at 23 as of Wednesday, while other deaths are being investigated to determine whether they are related to the storm.
Amanda Knowles grew up in Barrackville, but has made Houston her home for 10 years. As Hurricane Harvey hit her home, Knowles sat in her house and heard nothing but helicopters, boats and sirens as people were being rescued out of their own houses.
“It has been very devastating to witness,” Knowles said. “Luckily, my family did not get water in our house because the water stopped at the edge of our yard, but our street was flooded, and a lot of our neighbors had to be evacuated.”
Knowles spoke of numerous homes and vehicles underwater, and how many people were in need of help.
“People were literally waiting on top of their roofs to be rescued,” Knowles said.
While Knowles considered herself lucky not to have accumulated damage to her house, she was unable to leave for four days. She said she was able to make it to a local grocery store Wednesday for the first time after water began receding.
“All of the grocery stores are out of necessities like bread, milk and eggs, and gas stations are out of gas,” Knowles said. “I have been trying to make my way to our local church to volunteer to help.”
Knowles said now that things are beginning to “dry-up,” she expects a major clean-up will begin for Houston, but the disaster is not over. Knowles mentioned many of the shelters are at full capacity and are in need of many items.
“A lot of people have lost everything,” Knowles said. “Houston needs all the help that it can get.”
Knowles said that many local colleges, high schools and churches as well as businesses have opened their doors as shelter.
She also mentioned how successful NFL Houston Texans player J.J. Watt’s online donation fund has been. People all over the world have access to donate to his fund, and so far, Watt has raised more than $7 million of his goal of $10 million.
Watt’s online fund description reads, “We must come together and collectively help rebuild the aspects of our community members’ lives that were damaged or lost. … We will come out of this stronger than ever. We are Texans.”
Knowles said she has had a lot of West Virginians ask her about how they can help and where they can donate, and she has pointed them in the direction of Watt’s fund as well as local shelters near her that are in need including the Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“I know there are a lot of people in Houston that are from West Virginia, so the support from our home state would be amazing,” Knowles said.
Knowles said she appreciates that so many friends and family from West Virginia are eager to help her new home in Texas.
“The sun actually broke through this morning in Houston, and it was amazing,” Knowles said.
Email Kaitlyn Neff at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @kneffTWV.
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