Harvey Survivors Joe Thompson WL: All right, this is Will Lang with the University of Houston and the Houston History Magazine talking with Susan Thompson and, do you prefer Joe or Joseph? JT: Joe.…
Harvey Survivors Erin Galland Erin Galland was interviewed on November 20, 2022, in the backyard of her home in Nesbit, Mississippi. Mrs. Galland lived in Houston until 2020, when her family relocated to Mississippi,…
Harvey Survivors Ronald Teitelbaum Ron Teitelbaum was interviewed on the morning of Friday, March 2, 2018, in the conference room of an apartment building in Houston, where he and his wife have been living…
Harvey Survivors Russell Price Russell Price had lived in Houston for forty years when he participated in this interview. Price lived in Michigan before coming to Houston, trading in ice and snowstorms for tropical…
Volunteers Rabbi Oren Hayon Rabbi Oren Hayon, with Temple Emanu El, discusses Hurricane Harvey, the Jewish community’s reaction to Harvey, and the Jewish community in Houston. Hayon discusses the fact that Temple Emanu El…
Harvey Survivors Sammy Ford At the time of the interview, Sammy Ford had lived in the Houston community for approximately forty years and had experienced multiple natural disasters, with flooding from Hurricane Harvey and…
Harvey Survivors Curtis Elder Curtis Elder is a native Houstonian who was born and raised in Fifth Ward. He has lived in the Scenic Wood neighborhood for much of his life. Elder remembers evacuating…
Harvey Survivors Michael Duke Michael Duke, a third-generation journalist in the Jewish community with the Jewish Herald-Voice, discusses community news, community involvement, and Hurricane Harvey. Duke emphasizes that being a newspaper in a community…
Harvey Survivors Patricia Crawford Patricia Crawford has lived in Houston, Texas, for her whole life, providing her with multiple experiences with hurricanes and tropical storms. When describing her experience with Hurricane Harvey, Crawford mentions…
Harvey Survivors Guy Cohen Guy Cohen, an Israeli working for the Israeli American Council, relates his experience with Hurricane Harvey. He and his wife bought a house in Meyerland, a house that previously had…
Harvey Survivors Charles Clark Charles Clark, Jr., was not worried about Hurricane Harvey. He says that this house in Missouri City and the surrounding area had not flooded in the past, but he still…
Harvey Survivors Betty Clark Betty Clark discusses Harvey’s impact on herself, Meyerland, and the “shtetl” feel of Meyerland. The impact on Clark is a reminder that even though a person goes through tough times,…
Harvey Survivors Holly Cin Holly Cin, a driving force behind the Meyerland Minyan orthodox synagogue, discusses flooding, the Meyerland community, and the future of the Jewish community there. Cin discusses flooding in the Memorial…
Volunteers Harold Bishop Harold Bishop has lived in Houston since 1983, when he moved here while working as a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. Since then, he has experienced many storms, including Hurricane…
Harvey Survivors Helen Benjamin Helen Benjamin has lived in Houston for more than fifty years. She moved here as a teenager to attend beauty school while also studying at Wheatley High School. In 2001,…
Harvey Survivors Herman Baker Herman Baker is a private security guard who works in Fifth Ward. During Hurricane Harvey, he and his family went to Brenham, Texas. While Baker did not receive damage to…
Harvey Survivors Lillian Hood Lillian Hood lived in a patio home in Kingwood near Lake Houston when Harvey hit the area. She was not surprised the streets flooded in her neighborhood after hearing the…
Volunteers John Shepard John Shepard has lived in Kingwood since the 1980s and has experienced several hurricanes and tropical storms. When Hurricane Harvey began to affect Houston, Shepard and his wife were are…
Volunteers Toni McElroy Toni McElroy is a native Houstonian, living and working in the city her whole life. Throughout her time in Houston, she witnessed many tropical storms and hurricane-related disasters. McElroy discusses…
Harvey Survivors Kenneth Knox Kenneth Knox lived in Kingwood, Texas at the time of Hurricane Harvey. Before moving to Houston, Knox lived in Louisiana, where he understood the importance of living away from floodplains.…
Volunteers… Robert Beauregard Robert Beauregard held the position of Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Deputy in Alexandria, Louisiana, for twenty-eight years at the time of this interview. Beauregard recounts his police training for natural disasters,…
Harvey Survivors Melissa Flores Melissa Flores is a biology student at the University of Houston who grew up in Cypress, Texas. Flores recounts her experience with tropical storms and hurricanes throughout her time living…
Volunteers Fatai Oyejobi Fatai Oyejobi lives near Lake Houston in Atascocita. Born in Nigeria, he moved to the United States when he was young and moved to Houston in 2009. He lived in…
Volunteers Johnny Holmes Johnny Holmes, a native to Austin, Texas, moved to Houston, Texas for college approximately forty years ago. When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Holmes lived on the third story of an…
Harvey Survivors Rabbi Teller Rabbi Ranon Teller, Congregation Brith Shalom, discusses Hurricane Harvey, repercussions from the hurricane, the Jewish community response, and the impact on the community. Teller begins with sharing the many hats…
Harvey Survivors Sharon Mellert Sharon Mellert has lived in the Houston area, specifically Kingwood for twenty-four years at the time of this interview. When Hurricane Harvey hit, Mellert and her husband were out of…
Harvey Survivors John Young Sr. John Young was born and raised in Houston’s Fifth Ward and has lived there all his life. He recalls that in his youth, the neighborhood was peaceful, with good teachers…
Harvey Survivors Kathie and Don Witt Kathie and Don Witt have lived in Kingwood for twenty-five years. The Witts had no storm experience prior to Hurricane Harvey. When they heard the news about Harvey, they had…
Harvey Survivors Yvette Scales Yvette Scales recounts almost sixty years of personal experience with tropical storms and hurricanes while living in the Third Ward of Houston, TX. Scales touches on her memories with Hurricanes…
First Responders HFD Station 8 Houston Fire Department Station 8 is located near downtown Houston and services Montrose, Third Ward, and Fifth Ward. During Hurricane Harvey and previous floods, such as the Memorial Day flood…
Harvey Survivors Eyal Enav Eyal Enav discusses his experience with not only Hurricane Harvey but two previous floods in his Meyerland home. Despite difficulties in Harvey, including dealing with a broken wrist resulting from…
Harvey Survivors David Enav David Enav discusses his experience with two previous floods and his harrowing experience during Hurricane Harvey. Enav spent most of his life in Meyerland, attending Jewish schools for his education…
Harvey Survivors Rhonda Davis Rhonda Davis has lived in La Porte, Texas, for forty-three years. Upon recounting her experience with Hurricane Harvey, Davis revealed that many believed the news to overestimate the potential threat…
Harvey Survivors Nirayl Cororve Public History graduate student Saneea Sakhyani interviewed Meyerland resident, Nirayl Cororve, for the "Neighborhood Narratives" component of the "Resilient Houston: Oral History Project." This project is part of the UH…
Harvey Survivors Brian Cororve Brian Cororve is an estate attorney who has lived in Meyerland for much of his life with his wife, Nirayl, and their children. Unfortunately, their home flooded during Hurricane Harvey…
Harvey Survivors Debra Johnson Debra Johnson moved from San Antonio, where she grew up, to Houston to be closer to her aging mother. After several years living in Houston, Johnson's apartment flooded during Hurricane…
Harvey Survivors Alvinea Randolph Army Veteran Alvinea Randolph was born and raised in Houston, Texas, predominantly living in the northeast side. She has experienced many storms affecting Houston, including Alison and Harvey. When heard…
Harvey Survivors Doris Yudelvich Doris Yudelvich has lived in Houston for thirty years, and experienced flooding on Memorial Day in 2015 and during Hurricane Harvery. Yudelvich says that she did not go to work…
Volunteers Linda Vogel Linda Vogel moved to Kingwood, Texas in 1979 and has lived here since. Vogel briefly touches on her experience with Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Allison, admitting that when she…
First Responders Dr. Lars Thestrup Lars Thestrup has lived in Houston, Texas for ten years, originally coming from Fairfax, Virginia. Thestrup has been involved with EMT since he was eighteen-years-old and is now the assistant…
Harvey Survivors Nomi Solomon Nomi Solomon, a mother of three, discusses the floods, hurricane Harvey, and her commitment to staying in Meyerland for the Jewish community it offers. Starting with the Memorial Day flood…
Harvey Survivors Tom and Lisa Slagle Tom and Lisa Slagle are both retired Houston firefighters who live in Kingwood. Tom served for thirty-six years and retired as District Chief. Lisa served the department for twenty years,…
Harvey Survivors Kathy Scott Kathy Scott has lived in Houston, Texas since 1981. In the days leading up to Harvey, Scott was unconcerned since her neighborhood was not expecting storm damage. A day before…
First Responders Dr. Chris Souders & Dr. Kevin Schulz Dr. Chris Souders, Associate Medical Director for the Houston Fire Department Emergency Medical Services (HFD EMS), and Kevin Schulz, Assistant Medical Director, helped to organize the emergency medical services offered…
Harvey Survivors Irving Rothman Irving Rothman, a professor of English at the University of Houston, discusses Hurricane Harvey, the house he and his wife have lived in for over 51 years, which had never…
Volunteers Gloria Rose Gloria Rose has lived in Houston since September of 2005. Before that, she lived in New Orleans but left after Hurricane Katrina. Rose recounts some of her experiences during Katrina,…
Volunteers Mark Renn Mark Robert Renn was born outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and has since lived all over the country. Kingwood is the fourth Texan city Renn has lived in, with Houston, Austin,…
Volunteers Pastor Rudy Rasmus Pastor Rudy Rasmus grew up in West End, one of the oldest black neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. Pastor Rasmus begins his interview detailing the changes throughout Houston during his childhood…
Harvey Survivors David Lowy David Lowy was born in Pasadena, Texas and grew up in Meyerland, where he lived until flooding from Hurricane Harvey forced his family to leave their home. Lowy remembers the…
Harvey Survivors Carolyn Littleton & Shelia Whitfield Carolyn Littleton and Shelia Whitfield are both native Houstonians who experienced flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Littleton and Whitfield, sisters, recall living through Hurricane Carla as children in 1961. Both women,…
First Responders Nathan Lilley Nathan Lilley is a captain at the Houston Fire Department Emergency Medical Services. Lilley was born in Houston, Texas and remained in the city for most of his life. Lilley…
Volunteers Rabbi Jill Levy Rabbi Jill Levy moved to Houston when she was two years old and grew up going to the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center in Meyerland. The JCC plays a vital…
Volunteers Mary Jo Lagoski Mary Jo Lagoski is a private practice psychotherapist in Kingwood, where she has lived for the past thirty years. Lagoski's home did not suffer damages from Harvey, but she details…
Harvey Survivors Perla King Perla Torres King lived in Baytown before moving to Crosby in 2015. King has experience with tropical storms and hurricanes in the areas, her first being Hurricane Ike. Although her…
Volunteers James Joseph James Joseph has lived in Houston for most of his life and is a community organizer in Fifth Ward. He remembers previous hurricanes, like Allison and Ike, and their effects…
Volunteers Stephen James Stephen James saw the devasting effects of Hurricane Harvey firsthand and documented his experience through photography. James's career as a CBS affiliate at Houston, Channel 11 prepared him to seek…
Volunteers Brandi Holmes & Secunda Joseph Brandi Holmes and Secunda Joseph, both native Houstonians, discuss their experience of Hurricane Harvey. Holmes explains that she is no stranger to floods as her family's neighborhood would flood regularly…
First Responders HFD Station 49 Firefighters at Station 49 of the Houston Fire Department recount their experiences as first responders during Hurricane Harvey. Chief Bob Branch says that no amount of planning could have prepared…
Harvey Survivors Dr. Max Heimlich Dr. Max Heimlich is veterinarian at Stuebner Airline Veterinary Hospital in northwest Houston, which flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Heimlich says that growing up in Ohio, he was not prepared for…
Harvey Survivors Margie Freeman Margie Freeman, born in 1951 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, moved to Houston thirty-two years ago for her husband's job. Freeman recalls her first experience with a hurricane in 1972, with…
Volunteers State Rep. Harold Dutton Harold Dutton was born in Fifth Ward and attend Texas Southern University for law school. Dutton remembers Hurricane Carla in 1961 and how it impacted his first days of college.…
Volunteers Keith Downey Public History graduate students Allison Sáenz and Karla A. Lira interviewed Fifth Ward resident, Keith Downey as part of the "Resilient Houston: Oral History Project." This project is part of…
Volunteers Deacon Endra Cosby Deacon Endra Cosby is the facilities manager at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Third Ward. Cosby grew up in Chicago before moving to Minnesota and then Houston, where his brother…
Harvey Survivors Renee Cohen I interviewed Renee Cohen on the morning of 2/21/18 at her rental home in Houston, TX, where she and I interviewed Renee Cohen on the morning of February 21, 2018…
Harvey Survivors Reverend James Caldwell For the majority of his life, Reverend James Caldwell has lived in Houston, Texas, where he experienced tropical storms and hurricanes. Caldwell mentions Hurricane Harvey did not discriminate when causing…
Harvey Survivors Jane Wong Jane Wong lives in Katy, Texas with her parents, siblings, and grandmother. During Hurricane Harvey, every house in her neighborhood flooded. Wong recalls that her mother was nervous about Harvey…
First Responders James Sheffield James Sheffield is part of the Emergency Medical Task Force of Texas, which provides medical support for the Texas Task Force. He first responded to floods in Kingwood in 1994,…
First Responders Ed Llewellyn Ed Llewellyn is a fire fighter at Station 6 of the Houston Fire Department. Hi family moved to Houston in 1986 and he has lived in Kingwood ever since. During…
Harvey Survivors Jose Mendez Jose Manuel Mendez has lived in Houston, TX since his birth in 1980. In 2008, Mendez experienced a power outage for two weeks due to Hurricane Ike, otherwise his experience…
Harvey Survivors Elgene Muscat Elgene Muscat is a retired nurse who moved to Kingwood in 1995 and experienced flooding during Hurricane Harvey. She recalls that her husband told her when they moved to Kingwood…
First Responders Dr. David Persse Dr. David Persse is the EMS Medical Director for the Houston Fire Department and the Public Health Authority in Houston. In these capacities he helped to coordinate the response to…
Harvey Survivors Ana Vazao Ana Vazao describes her experience after her house flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Vazao talks about how she became concerned about flooding after hearing news reports about the expected impacts in…
Harvey Survivors Eric Dowding Eric Dowding lives along Brays Bayou and has flooded three times, including during Hurricane Harvey. Dowding moved to Houston after he met his wife. The first flood he experienced was…
Harvey Survivors Lynne Boone Lynne Boone, born in Cleveland, Ohio, moved to Houston, Texas in 1984 and has remained here ever since. Living in Kingwood, Boone experienced the significance of Hurricane Harvey firsthand. In…
Harvey Survivors John Barr John Barr has lived in Kingwood for more than thirty years and teaches history at Lone Star College - Kingwood. When he first heard about the potential storm forming in…
Volunteers Candece Beverly Candece Beverly is a Houston native who lived in Third Ward near Brays Bayou. Before the Memorial Day flood in 2015, Beverly had never experienced a flood. During the interview,…
Volunteers Amy Zachmeyer Amy Zachmeyer was the co-chair of the Houston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America during the recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey. Zachmeyer describes how before the storm, the DSA…
Harvey Survivors William McWhirter William McWhirter has lived in the Greater Houston Area since 1963 when he was ten years old. He provides insight into personal experiences with flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes.…
