Houston County Helps Out

Volunteers Head Towards Coastal Areas 

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – Most people turn the other way instead of heading into a dangerous situation. Some carry on like no danger exists and still others head right into the teeth of a hurricane.

Such was the case for four nursing home employees from Houston County who traveled to Texas City 

and Cuero last week before Hurricane Harvey made landfall.

On Monday afternoon, Aug. 28, Winfield Activities Director Kim Canada spoke about the experience she and three other brave volunteers had while lending a helping hand in the face of a hurricane.

“They were short staffed. We actually went to a facility in Texas City to help evacuate people. Once we got there, however, they said they were going to wait until their courtyard area started to flood before they started to evacuate people,” she said.

That never happened, Canada explained.

“It wasn’t flooded when we got there on Thursday evening. That evening, we went and got some sleep and then went back to the nursing home (in Texas City). Then, they asked four of us to go to Cuero to help out with another facility that was also short staffed,” she said.

“We drove down there and when the storm hit about 1:00 a.m., it was bad. The wind was so high it could knock you over. We saw trees laying over and there was stuff flying everywhere. We worked the whole night at the nursing home and didn’t get back to the hotel until about 7:00 a.m. and then we drove home,” Canada said.

Asked what they did while they were down in Cuero, Canada said they did a lot of work with the nursing home residents like feeding, serving and cleaning.

“We worked calls that night and there were leaks all in the building. We had to get trash cans for that and our maintenance guy had to help board up the windows as well as helping to put down the sand bags,” the activities director said.

Canada said she was joined in her excursion by Dawn Hester from Community Care Center of Crockett, Wanda McDaniel from Whitehall Rehab  and Nursing Center and Louis Sutton, the Maintenance Supervisor at Whitehall.

She also wanted to inform area residents a food and clothing drive is being conducted at Community Care, Whitehall and Winfield.

“We are taking donations from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,” she said.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].