Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey — page 3 — Within the eyewall of the storm winds churned at 130 miles per hour 209 kmh uprooting trees and structures in the hurricane's path The storm lost momentum as it made its way inland but the strong winds and heavy rains were relentless HURRICANE HARVEY'S PATH Hurricane Harvey first made landfall northeast of Corpus Christi Texas on the night of August 25 2017 In the early morning hours of August 26 the hurricane also hit towns along the northeastern coast of Copano Bay in Texas These included the towns of Rockport and Fulton Because they were within the eyewall of the storm these areas were hit hardest Then in the early morning of August 30 the storm hit the coastal town of Cameron Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico In addition the storm caused flash floods in other southern states that were not directly hit including Mississippi Tennessee and Arkansas Ferguson Smith's house had been built on low lying swampland between two bayous She lived there with her husband Rico and their teenage son and daughter Ferguson Smith's sister Charmane also lived with them As the storm raged on rain and marsh water flooded the streets in their neighborhood They watched as their neighbors evacuated Families piled into rescue boats Some people stuffed their belongings into floating dumpsters that they pushed through the high floodwaters

Hurricane Harvey — page 4 — Ferguson Smith's son Travis pleaded with his parents to leave He feared snakes floating in the water as the rising tides flushed animals out of their natural habitats But Charmane was afraid to leave Neither she nor Ferguson Smith knew how to swim and the fast moving murky water appeared threatening Charmane also had schizophrenia a mental DISPLACED WILDLIFE illness that made her more agitated in stressful situations Ferguson Smith had another important reason to stay as well As a nurse at a nearby hospital she was trained to help people during times of disaster One Hundreds of thousands of alligators live in Texas mostly in swampy areas on the southeastern coast of the state Along with snakes and many other animals they migrated to higher grounds to escape the floods from Harvey These animals are often afraid of humans and will not attack unless provoked Of the 23 snake species in the Houston area only five are venomous The animal to be most concerned about during periods of flooding according to both wildlife officials and residents is the red imported fire ant This invasive insect species is known for its painful stings which can cause blisters burning or infections In clusters these ants can float on water without drowning Their bodies produce a type of waterproof wax and they latch onto one another's legs to keep afloat morning in the days after the storm first hit her boss texted her He asked her to come to the hospital to treat storm victims Ferguson Smith surveyed the street outside her home The floodwaters had risen and

Hurricane Harvey — page 5 — submerged her car She wouldn't be able to drive It was too dangerous to leave On the morning of August 27 however Ferguson Smith and her family had no choice but to evacuate By then Harvey had dumped more than a foot 0 3 m of rain in Houston and I DON'T THINK I CAN CRY ANYMORE I'VE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF EMOTIONS A LOT OF ANGER SADNESS YOU KNOW EVEN ENVY WHY DIDN'T MY HOUSE MAKE IT 4 other parts of southeastern Texas The National Weather PEGGY BOURG SURVIVOR Service NWS had issued a flash flood emergency for the area Meteorologists for the NWS warned Catastrophic flooding in the Houston metropolitan area is expected to worsen and may become historic 3 In their house Ferguson Smith and her family waded through water that had risen past their ankles Yasmine Ferguson Smith's daughter found a garter snake floating in the water in her bedroom The family quickly packed backpacks full of supplies Then they opened the door and stepped outside into waist deep water They carried their backpacks over their heads Ferguson Smith kept an eye on her sister hoping Charmane wouldn't break down from the stress

Hurricane Harvey — page 6 — Thousands of vehicles were destroyed by Harvey's floodwaters Ferguson Smith and her family slowly made their way to higher ground pushing against the current They managed to reach the parking lot of a nearby store A crowd of people had gathered there A massive 18 wheeler rescue truck arrived Everyone clambered onto the open truck bed and they were driven to a local church Once they arrived they were able to dry off A city bus pulled up to the church It transported Ferguson Smith and her family to the George R Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston where they took shelter with thousands of other people who had also been displaced from their homes

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