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 Concord Bridge, her neighborhood. She describes how her house, which backs up to a park, was flooded with eight to ten inches of water, and notes that the park saved her house from worse flooding.

Vazao recalls the morning she left her house, how she walked through several feet of water to leave her neighborhood, and the anxiety she felt while away from her house. She explains the struggle applying for FEMA aid, and the incredible response from her community and various organizations, who helped her to remove damaged material from her house and provided financial support after the storm. Vazao talks about the trauma from the storm and how it affected her during efforts to repair her house and in her work as a school counselor where people leaned on her for support dealing with their trauma.