For some Texans, the pain and struggle of Hurricane Harvey is deja vu

World Today

Kids play in the street during small block party after cleaning up after Tropical Storm Harvey, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Pearland, Texas. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)

In south Texas, residents are reliving what they went through in 2005, when Hurricane Rita brought floods and devastation.

This historic storm brought back memories of those days of struggle and survival.

CGTN’s Nitza Soledad Perez has that story.

After being rescued from the floods caused by days of rain, many evacuees were brought to a triage center in the Beaumont area of southeast Texas, about 160 kilometers from Houston.

The area of Port Arthur and Beaumont flooded overnight. “About nine o’clock that night it started rising to our apartment and to our ankles. Then it went up to our knees,” displaced flood victim Wadine Singah said.

But, they thought they were safe from harm. “It was a hurricane at first. Then, it turned into a flash flood warning. It hit so hard from Monday to Wednesday that it was flooded all completely around us,” displaced flood victim Monica Blount said.

The infrastructure in this part of south Texas is in jeopardy. The city of Beaumont has lost all its water supply. The main pumps failed due to flooding. The power grid is also failing.

For many residents, this is all a deja vu. In 2005, Hurricane Rita destroyed the county. “That was devastating also. Because my place got burned down and I lost everything in that storm,” said Singah.

Some residents are angry. They blame the authorities for not being better prepared.

“We have things that have been neglected like our flood wall, our pumps. We have no spirit of pro activity,” displaced flood victim Anthony McDaniel said.

But, there is no disagreement about one thing. Many residents plan to come back.

“This is home. I was born and raised here. I’m not giving up on Port Arthur. I think we could rebuild from this. You know everything is going to be all right. God is got our back,” Singah said.