颶風哈威五周年：倖存者的家園恢復

On August 26, 2017, 130 mph winds besieged Harris County for four consecutive days, inundating 70% of the land with over a foot and a half of flood water as Hurricane Harvey hovered over Houston (Amadeo, 2019). According to the Associated Press, over 150,000 Houston homes were flooded, leaving more than 16,000 homeowners needing rebuilding assistance, marking the second most costly natural disaster in United States history, second only to Hurricane Katrina (Lozano, 2020). It is estimated that nearly 75% of the flooded homes sat outside of a FEMA-designated flood zone, therefore homeowners were told they did not need flood insurance. Because homeowners did not have flood insurance, families were left with only modest FEMA awards to rebuild the substantial damage to their residences. But just as quickly as Harvey descended, NGOs like SBP responded, supported by corporate partners like Farmers Insurance, to help the most vulnerable families rebuild their homes and lives. Five Years later, SBP’s Rebuild Program continues to help Harvey survivors and has returned 830 families home to date. While we are proud of the impact of this program, there are still thousands of homeowners are still in need of assistance (Watkins, 2022).

Get Involved with SBP and bring light back into the life of someone like Mr. Rogers.

有經濟能力的休斯頓人能夠迅速康復，但對於許多脆弱和資源不足的家庭來說，他們的回家之旅缺乏可預測性。Covid-19 健康危機和隨後的封鎖期間帶來的挑戰加劇了這些延誤。約翰·羅傑斯（John Rogers）先生就是這樣一位房主，他住在他童年的家中，就在他姐姐的隔壁。羅傑先生家的屋頂被4級風吹起，暴露在傾盆大雨中，導致石板從室內天花板上掉下來，黴菌在絕緣層和石膏板內潰爛。他兒子的大部分物品都被毀壞了，而他的地板、電氣、絕緣、石膏板、石膏板、門和暖通空調系統需要大修。然而，羅傑斯先生由於嚴重的眼部受傷而失業，需要幾次高強度手術，導致他部分失明，因此無法負擔維修費用。“當哈威來襲時，我只是想維持生計，”他分享道。當他坐在黑暗的客廳里，對他的健康會恢復，他的家會得到修復失去希望時，敲門聲響起。

SBP’s dedicated team of Americorps members had been going door-to-door, offering homeowners Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 Pandemic and surveying homeowners needing rebuilding assistance. When Mr. Rogers opened his door and shared his story, our team recommended SBP’s Owner-Occupied Rebuild Program, which utilizes volunteers, charitable donations, and grants to return homeowners to their homes and communities following a disaster. Seeing that Mr. Roger’s was on the brink of giving up hope for the recovery of his home and health, SBP’s Houston team feared that if life threw one more challenge his way, he was at risk of reaching his breaking point. Mr. Rogers had lost sight of a clear path forward and needed help to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The moment when our team called to greenlight his application, he shares that it served as the jolt of energy he needed to kick-start a health recovery that transformed his mental and physical well-being.

The day after SBP offered assistance, Mr. Rogers started walking the track and field near his house–a feat he previously saw as impossible due to his eyesight. Each day he came home from the track, he rejoiced in the sight of SBP’s Americorps Members and teams of volunteers in his yard, fixing the house that held so much importance to his family and entire neighborhood. “They gave me a boost in my spirit…they really let me know that this world we live in is good, and that good trumps over evil,” he said as he held back tears. The volunteers were not only giving him a roof over his head but also the key to a new mindset and a new life.

On the day of his coming home party, Mr. Rogers stood proudly in his newly finished home, revealing the memories that the house held and shedding light on the darkness that consumed his life when it was destroyed. He admitted that he wouldn’t have been able to stand in front of the camera before today, but now he’s a new John. “Thanks to you guys, my prayers have been answered.” To all of the volunteers across the nation, Mr. Rogers thanks you for bringing light to people’s lives and for giving him a “new life.” And to all the disaster survivors like him, “You think there’s no hope, but there is hope. Keep your faith. Leave it with God. I kept the faith, and look at me now.”

Get Involved with SBP and bring light back into the life of someone like Mr. Rogers.

引用

1. https://www.lamar.edu/_files/documents/resilience-recovery/grant/recovery-and-resiliency/hurric2.pdf
2. https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ap-top-news-tx-state-wire-us-news-c3e84ee0327c293bf167d818c8b25f7d#:~:text=13.,income%2C%20according%20to%20the%20city
3. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/in-depth/2022/02/03/418332/more-than-four-years-after-hurricane-harvey-thousands-of-houston-homeowners-are-still-waiting-for-assistance-and-might-not-get-it/
4. https://www.weather.gov/hgx/hurricaneharvey
5. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/hurricane-harvey/