They’ve been out of their Rockport home for the 15 months since Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Coastal Bend, but Julene Fuller is still giving thanks on this Thanksgiving.
“There’s always something to be thankful for,” she said.
Fuller and her family had to gut their home after Harvey blew off her roof and the storm’s torrential rain ruined everything inside. But now, her home is on the road to recovery. She says more than 100 volunteers from a number of organizations in a number of states have helped her make repairs like installing sheet rock.
“It’s come a long way,” Fuller said of her home. “We’re blessed to have had the volunteers that we’ve had.”
While her home gets repaired Fuller, her husband, her daughter, and the families two dogs are living in a travel trailer adjacent to the house. It’s tight quarters. It leaks when it rains. The air conditioning went out in August, and the Fullers had to rig two window units to the side of the trailer to keep the place cool. Still, Fuller maintains a positive attitude.
“The trailer that we have, we’re blessed to have it,” she said. “I’m not out on the streets. I’m not living on a couch. But, it’s still not comfortable.”
In addition to the volunteers, Fuller says she’s also thankful for her community’s resiliency and her family.
“I’m thankful for a strong family,” Fuller said. “It’s just the three of us here. We’re a close family.”
“I think that’s one thing that keeps me going,” she added. “I want to say, ‘you didn’t win Harvey.’ One day I’ll be sitting in [my repaired home] and having Thanksgiving, and I’m going to say, ‘you didn’t win.'”
