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 the gulf, he was not worried and continued to prepare for the start of a new school year. When the rain began, he still was not worried because his house had not flooded during the Tax Day flood in 2016.

Two days after the rain began, neighbors offered help with moving Barr’s furniture above any possible flood waters. Barr and his wife left their house early the next morning and stayed with their next-door neighbors. Barr’s house was the last on the street to flood. Barr repeats that for the first few days of rain he was certain that their house, which sits higher than its surroundings, would not flood and that he was not concerned about the storm since there was no wind. He also explains how seven of the nine buildings on the Lone Star College – Kingwood campus flooded, which prevented him from going to his office for months and forced him to teach online. Barr had purchased flood insurance prior to Harvey because it was cheap due to street flooding in his neighborhood. The majority of Kingwood did not have flood insurance. He also received money from FEMA and says that the process was easy and simple. Barr says that if another flood happens, he and his wife know what is important in their house and what they want to save. He talks about who offered help after the storm, and about how some people tried to minimize the trauma of the storm but saying that he was getting a new house because of it. At the end of the conversation, Barr says that if Kingwood ever floods again, he and his wife will walk away from their home.