The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey is devastating, yet also inspiring as the city has come together to support each other. It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but we are proud of our city and will get through it together as a family.
Almost all our Drees employees have volunteered and donated in some way during this historic event. These are a few of our stories.
Market Manager Rhonda Wright lives in Conroe and certain areas around her were hit hard. She spent the week helping neighbors rip out flooring and sheetrock. She also delivered cold drinks to the volunteers in nearby communities with the help of our little Drees mascot, husky puppy, Bella Blu. Within her Drees family, coworker Linda Simmons’ mom’s home was flooded and Rhonda welcomed her into her home while they work to repair the damage. Linda is grateful to the team of volunteers from Second Baptist Church in Kingwood that helped remove sheetrock and insulation from her mother’s home.
Ken Callicott, Operations Manager, assisted with water rescues after the Addicks and Barker reservoirs were released. After rescues, Ken jumped in to help with cleanup efforts. He worked with a team to removed carpet and sheetrock from an older couple’s home in Cinco Ranch.
Christy Huckaby, the market manager at Royal Brook, was stranded in Florida when Harvey hit. A resident of Kingwood, she was one of a lucky few who did not experience flood damage. Many of her family members lost everything and her home is now a shelter for four families. Her sons were home during Harvey and spent several days helping with cleanup.
Builder Max Ebner lives near the Barker Reservoir. He’s a member of the Bayou City Fellowship, which gathered teams all around the city to assist with rescue and cleanup efforts.
Nearly 80% of home were damaged in the Spring Cypress area where marketing coordinator Alicia Engelking lives. Luckily, her home was spared. Alicia and her husband helped neighbors stranded by flood waters, delivered sandwiches to first responders and volunteers, and assisted with cleanup at their church in Cypress.
Christian Sommer, Division President, lives in Sienna Plantation, which was under a mandatory evacuation order due to fears the surrounding levees would fail. They were spared flooding, but their home did endure a tornado, which broke windows and knocked down a tree. Christian and his family spent the week supporting their fellow neighbors.
John Courtney, our newest Drees team member, spent his days delivering supplies and clothing to local churches in the Spring area. He coordinated with his friends and church to help out a local family that lost everything in their first-floor apartment.
Builder Scott Kinsley is the only Drees employee that was severely impacted by Harvey. His home was flooded with 55 inches of water. Friends, family, coworkers and people Scott’s never met before showed up to help remove all the damaged items. “This has been a huge eye opener on how big of a heart our country has,” said Scott.
