So, there was that famous Texas saying, “Saddle Up”. Everyone loaded up their boats and any supplies they could find and headed to the areas that had been hit by the storm.
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| Avalon Food Mart 2 September 2017 |
Wharton was being used as a staging area for the rescue effort. We survived. Houston to the northeast of us was hard hit. The little towns to the west of us were wiped out. But Wharton was fine, or so we thought.
Right after Harvey, we did not know anyone personally who had been affected by the storm. Then, it happened.
No one saw it coming. No one had any reason to believe it could happen in the blink of an eye, but it happened.
The storm run off from up the Colorado River came down, as expected. The run off also came down the San Bernard River, as expected. The storm run off came down Peach Creek, not as expected.
The surge hit from all three places at the same time. There was no where for the water to go. So, it ran backwards up Peach Creek and the three bodies of water became one big river. Right in the town of Wharton.
The town of Wharton has been forgotten. The Red Cross is here, but they are overwhelmed. They were running shelters for evacuees from Harvey. They did not know that they would need shelter.
Our friend Anwar lost his store. It happened in a matter of seconds. One minute, it was business as usual. The next minute, the store was full of three feet of water. The electronics all sit below three feet.
This section is the poor people part of town. Two doors over from Anwar’s Avalon Food Mart sits Wakefield Motel. This is where the really poor people live. They rent at $250 per week. For that, they get a bed, or two, lights, water, phone, and internet access.
Behind Anwar’s store sits a small RV park where people lived in very tiny RVs.
Most of these people at both places are the very poor. They walk everywhere they go. Few own cars. They buy their groceries, like beans, rice, sardines, and crackers from Anwar. Typically they use their debit cards to make small purchases. Anwar gladly accepts these cards for small purchases even though this usually means he loses money on the sale. His credit card company charges him 30¢ for each transaction plus 3% of the transaction in fees. This means if someone buys a 99¢ box of Saltine Crackers, Anwar loses about 30¢.
Our family has been very fortunate. We never lost power. The water never made it to our home. We actually live in a small bowl of land inside the flood area. God placed His Hand over our house and kept the bad things away. The only evidence here that anything happened is a few very small branches blew down. They did no damage when they fell.
The town of Wharton feels forgotten. Shortly after Harvey, some people asked where they could send donations. The answer was The American Red Cross because they handle the checkbook. They pay the bills so the boots on the ground could keep doing the work.
Everyone in that RV park lost all they had, or at least it appears that way. Everyone in the motel lost all they had, or at least it appears that way. They all had seconds to leave and nowhere to go.
Many of the people of Wharton had gone to help others. Saddle Up. They came back to find that Wharton got hit by the worst flood this town has seen in over a century.
The City of Wharton has been great with their response. City, precinct, county, and state law enforcement have worked well together. We planned for the hurricane. We even planned for the river to flood. We did not plan on all three things to surge at one time and flood the town with at least 3 feet of water in seconds.
The town was completely cut off from food delivery. The stores were empty due to people stocking up before Harvey. We are slowly starting to come back. The stores will have to restock.
Please pray for Anwar and his family. They lost everything. Also pray for Sammy and Kay who own the Wakefield Inn. Also, please pray for the residents of the RV park and Wakefield Inn. We have not been able to locate them to ask their permission to share their names.
We praise God for all those we know are safe. We ask God to protect those who we don’t yet know about. We hope FEMA will step in and help those who lost everything to the flood. Most people were trying to do what they could for the Harvey victims when the flood wiped them out.
God it good. We are safe and dry. We don’t have mail service just yet. We don’t know when they will get that back. Some of the town is still flooded. Last we heard, Avalon Food Mart, the RV park, and Wakefield Inn were still under 3 feet of water. Please keep them in your prayers.
Please be advised that all the information in this course is provided to educate, enlighten, and broaden your views in life. The information provided is not a substitute for medical, legal, dietary, financial/accounting, or religious professionals. Always consult a professional before you act on any of the information you find in this course.
Please be sure to consult your attorney, accountant, and/or other professionals with any specific questions. There is no one right answer to any business question that will cover all circumstances.
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