Raquel Ochoa and her family returned home to Port Arthur after Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey to something they didn’t want to see.

Even then, getting home was a challenge with all of the roads flooded.

“I cried. All my stuff was gone; my house and my car,” she said when she got home.

They went to Brownsville to visit family because they knew Harvey was coming ahead of time.

She cleaned out her house near 32nd Street and Memorial Boulevard while her husband gutted the interior. Fortunately for them, they had flood insurance. They’re still working on getting the house in shape.

“The person we were buying the house from said flood insurance was mandatory. We got our first little check within the first month while we waited on the second one,” Ochoa said. “Everything is more expensive since the hurricane. My car was a total loss. We kept the other car we had.”

Since then, they’ve replaced many belongings. They also bought a newer, larger house in Groves that didn’t flood. Ironically, Ochoa’s sister lives across the street on 32nd Street and her home didn’t flood.

“I joked and told her (Ochoa’s sister) God loves you too much,” she said. “I stayed with her until we moved. It’s tough not being in your house.”

This story appeared in Volume 1 of The Port Arthur News Profile, April 8, 2018