Spring Man Who Survived Harvey's Wrath Shares Hope Of Rebuilding

SPRING, TX — Larry Campbell never expected be where he is right now.

He never expected that possessions once considered dear, would be lying in a heap of rubble with wet sheetrock that used to be walls, and with saturated insulation that used to keep their home warm in winter.

He never expected to be consoling his wife as he removes one wheelbarrow load after another from their home, and dumps it there and leaves it behind.

He never expected that he’d be asking anyone for help, because he’s never needed to ask. (Want to get daily news updates and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free The Woodlands Patch morning newsletter.)

No, he never expected any of it at all, but that was before one of the worst storms to hit the Texas coast in years pummeled the Houston area and flooded hundreds of Houston area homes.

“I’ve had to swallow my pride,” Larry said as he waited on a visit from his insurance adjuster. “I have worked hard for everything I have.”

When Larry bought his home in Wimbledon Champion Estates in 2008, they were in the floodplain and were required to have flood insurance, but in 2014 Larry said his home was among several that were redistricted out of the floodplain, Larry said.

That made it less of a requirement to have flood insurance, but still a good idea to have in case of a flooding catastrophe.

Regardless, Larry thought he still had flood insurance and didn’t pay attention to any potential renewal notices in the mail, and the flood insurance lapsed.

When the rain started to fall on Aug. 26, Larry was worried for his home and his family.

“I’d stayed up until two o’clock that Sunday night, and the water was still in the streets,” he said.

He went to bed and got up a few hours later.

The rain was still falling.

The water had risen to the middle of his driveway, and one of his cars is in danger of flooding.

He moved his cars up as far as they would go in the garage and closed it, but there was no way out now, as long as it kept raining, and the water kept rising.

But the rain didn’t stop and the water rose.

Within a few hours, the soupy water passed the threshold of his front door and began to overtake the entire downstairs portion of his home.

Larry, his wife, Heidi, and his disabled mother-in-law, waited for help on the second story of his home, and at about 1:30 p.m. the next day, he saw a boat motoring along through his street.

He flagged the boater down, and waded out in water up to his shoulders as he carried out his wife, mother-in-law, and the two dogs to safety.

“My wife is distraught; we lost five cars a Harley, childhood memories...everything that was downstairs is gone,” he said. “I just have to swallow my pride and go forward.”

They spent several days afterward, staying at a church shelter at Faithbridge Church in Spring, before shifting over to a friend’s home nearby.

While the loss is heartbreaking and traumatic for his wife, they have found new friends in Faithbridge Church in Spring, who came over during Labor Day to help remove soggy furniture, appliances, cabinets, and sheetrock from their home.

“The expense is going to be tremendous,” he said.

The repairs are expected to be in the thousands, and Larry has started a GoFundMe Page with a goal of $250,000.

Image: Courtesy of Larry Campbell

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