Many Texans whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Harvey may qualify for funds to help repair or rebuild their homes through the Homeowner Assistance Program.

Administered by the Texas General Land office, the Homeowner Assistance Program is being offered to homeowners who live in eligible counties listed . (TheÌęÌęČčČÔ»ćÌęÌęare administering their own recovery programs.) The program is first-come, first serve and only available for a main home (primary residence).

For more information and directions on how to apply, visit .

The recently honored Entergy with a Lantern Award for its strategic crisis communications work. ÌęDuring the organization’s annual conference, held in New Orleans in September, the company was recognized for its social media efforts during Hurricane Harvey.

The hurricane flooded the company’s Texas service area in the summer of 2017, causing widespread outages and triggering a sustained restoration effort.

“Hurricane Harvey had its own unique challenges, but everyone on the team worked thousands of hours to ensure our customers were informed and up-to-date. This award is a wonderful recognition of everyone’s effort,” said Joey Lee, manager of communications for Entergy Mississippi. “Having our work selected by judges who are some of the top communications professionals in the field is quite an honor.”

Lantern Award entries are judged on their individual merit by nationwide public relations practitioners. The awards program offers three levels of recognition, including Certificates of Merit, Awards of Excellence and Lantern Awards.

Entergy was chosen from a wide pool of submissions. As a Lantern Award winner, the company joins an elite group of honorees working in the southern region, including NASA, the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Ochsner Health System, Sanderson Farms, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Auburn University. ()

“Hurricane Harvey was a game-changing event for the social media function at Entergy,” said Nicole Bradshaw, Entergy’s manager of digital and social media. “Our staff worked very long hours, very closely together, to help tell our story and take care of our customers and communities during the restoration. It was a huge team effort, spanning multiple departments and functions, and I’m pleased to see our employees being recognized for all of their hard work.”

To learn more about Entergy’s social media presence, view a listing of the company’s official social media feeds.

The Southern Public Relations Federation is a network of public relations professionals from Alabama, north Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Led by a volunteer board, the organization has more than 1,400 members and exists to further the professional and networking interests of public relations and communication professionals. Begun in 1972, the organization also advocates on behalf of and assists its members through ongoing professional development and defining ethical behavior.

When Harvey hit, many of the victims who lost everything didn’t qualify for help from FEMA. Some couldn’t even prove who they were or where they lived, because Harvey washed away all their paperwork.

That’s where Mission Northeast in New Caney stepped in. With assistance of the Mission’s benefactors, including a $10,000 grant from Entergy Texas, the mission was able to help people with some of the simplest, yet vital, needs. This included help with travel expenses to get to FEMA offices to file for assistance, and building materials to rebuild their homes.

“I think the most touching and telling is that our clients have been so selfless in their requests. Even those who lost everything have just asked for the smallest amount, so that they could get started back, but working on their own,” said Pamela Dickson, director of Mission Northeast, Inc. in New Caney.

Of the many cases handled by the Mission, some include large families who lost their homes but just needed money to rebuild.

Ìę“A family of 8 — 2 adults and 6 children — lived in a mobile home that was picked up and lodged between 2 trees.ÌęThey remained living on the property in tents, in August, with the heat and mosquitoes, because they were afraid their belongings would be stolen if they left,” Dickson said. “The mother works as a housekeeper in South Houston, and the father is a construction worker who recently (at the time of Harvey) was hurt when he fell off a ladder.

“All this family asked for was building material, so the father could do the work himself.ÌęThis family was one of those denied help from FEMA because they couldn’t provide proof of ownership,” Dickson said. “Mission Northeast purchased $1,886.60 in construction supplies so the dad could rebuild. Because of Entergy, Mission Northeast was able to help immediately when people came to us for assistance.”

Photographed is the family’s home that suffered damage during Harvey.

Ìę

When floodwaters began rising in their neighborhood in Orange, Texas, Jessica and Aceson Holmes safely moved their pets and vehicles to higher ground and evacuated before the worst of Hurricane Harvey’s rains arrived. As a final precaution, they stacked many items they wanted to save on countertops to protect them.

“Those are the things that ended up floating away,” said Jessica, who joined Entergy Texas last year as an analyst II for customer service support in Beaumont.

Over the next few days, the water reached 5 feet in their house and 6 feet in their barn as Adams Bayou swelled over its banks. The couple had only just moved into their house four months before and hadn’t finished unpacking. Many unpacked boxes they were planning to store in the upper shelves of closets were waterlogged.

“So many things that should have been saved were lost, like my wedding dress,” she said. “Furniture is replaceable, but sentimental things aren’t.”

To add to their stress, Jessica had just found out she was expecting. Thankfully, she and her husband were able to stay at his parents’ house in Orange while they figured out their next steps.

“It was a very emotional time for us and very difficult,” Jessica said. “When I was pregnant, my doctor told me not to go into the house while it was being cleaned and worked on. So, it was frustrating not having much control over what was happening.”

But things were about to get better. With a funding boost from Entergy, the American Red Cross was able to provide housing and critical-need assistance for hurricane victims, including the Holmes family, while they awaited insurance claims to be processed.

In December, Jessica started a new job at Entergy Texas, and in February, she made it through a complicated delivery and gave birth to a daughter, Alice. In early August, her family moved back into their renovated house.

Looking back over a year of challenges, Jessica is thankful for the support she received from the Red Cross and Entergy coworkers who helped her family weather the great Harvey flood of 2017.

Ìę“Entergy has been amazing to me, and the people I work with are awesome,” she said. “Even though I wasn’t working here during the storm, everyone has been so helpful and understanding as I’ve tried to put my life back together. It feels like one big family here.”

Ìę

This is why on the first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey hitting the Lone Star State, Entergy Texas is giving $300,000 to local educators, local governments and nonprofit organizations to replace items that Harvey destroyed.

“Harvey showed the heroes of our communities,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc. “The schools, cities and community organizations were there to help people get back on their feet following the storm. Our contributions today are a sign of our ongoing partnership to make our communities stronger.”

Entergy Texas directed $100,000 in Hurricane Harvey relief funds to Montgomery and Liberty Counties.

Organizations within these counties receiving funding include:

• Habitat for Humanity-Montgomery County ($10,000 for rebuilding homes)
• VFW Post 4709 in ConroeÌę ($15,000 to replenish veteran assistance funds depleted by the storm)
• Woodloch ($10,000 for repairs to building and a lift station)

To distribute some of the funds designated for Montgomery and Liberty counties, Entergy partnered with area assistance agencies:

• Mission Northeast ($25,300 to repair damaged infrastructure in East Montgomery County communities)
• Children’s Books on Wheels ($9,000 for repairs to homes and churches in the Tamina area)

“Children’s Books on Wheels is very excited to partner with Entergy Texas on continuing efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey. This funding will make a huge impact on the Tamina community that is still needed due to the storm,” said the organization’s executive director Rita Wiltz. “Through joint efforts such as this, we will rebuild our local communities stronger than they were before the hurricane.”

Entergy Texas provided other contributions to schools and organizations in the company’s eastern region, including Vidor, Beaumont and Silsbee. The donations are part of more than $800,000 Entergy has contributed in the past year. They are in addition to $530,000 in relief grants that Entergy already contributed to local agencies shortly after Harvey.Ìę

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 450,000 customers in 27 counties. șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.ÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌę

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In the quiet of a prayer service, Capt. Donald Marvels took a moment for reflection. This relative calm came during an assignment to Beaumont following Hurricane Ike. Capt. Marvels thought about his 14 days in Beaumont and all that he had seen. “Someday, I’d love the opportunity to be assigned here and serve the Beaumont community again.”

Ten years later, he had his chance.

Capt. Marvels and his family had arrived back in Beaumont on June 19, 2017. He had gotten his wish and would be starting as the Commanding Officer for the . Two months later, Tropical Storm Harvey tested him as it blew across the Golden Triangle.

In those days following Harvey, uncertainty hung thick in the air. Even though the rains had passed, whole communities had been swallowed by flooding and residents were uncertain if more was to come. The storm had resulted in power outages, and Beaumont had lost its water supply.

“The most immediate need was getting food and water to people,” said Capt. Marvels. “We must have had 1,500 cases of water that we were able to distribute. And people kept coming to our shelter as we opened up more spaces to accommodate.”

As people got a hot meal and a shower in that crowded facility, it was the simple expressions of humanity between strangers that stuck with him the most.

“Even though all these people had their lives ravaged by the storm, you could see the love from people,” recounted Marvels. He recalled a woman and her son. “Her son was in a wheelchair and she was having some difficulty helping him. Immediately, three strangers stood up to lend her a hand. In that moment, you could see her tears go from anguish to gratitude.”

Those moments of compassion followed Marvels throughout his time responding to Harvey. Following the storm, supplies from across the country poured into Beaumont. The Salvation Army received truckloads of supplies from places as far off as Ohio and Hawaii. Workers crisscrossed the region distributing hot meals and supplies to help the rebuilding effort.

“Harvey didn’t care who you were, whether you were affluent or poor. It took its toll on everyone, but the community came together to overcome. Everywhere we went, people were so grateful to see us and thank us for not forgetting them. When I think back, I still hear people’s relief when they saw us coming.”

One year later, Marvels and the Salvation Army are still working to help those in need. While shelter may be less crowded, families across Southeast Texas are still in need. The Salvation Army has given $2.8 million to help residents in the Golden Triangle. This includes rebate programs with M&D Supply, Ashley Furniture and JCPenney for residents still piecing their lives back together.

“What are we going to do with all these MREs?”

The boxes of prepackaged meals ready to eat multiplied and grew along walls and in hallways, a sign of the generosity pouring into Southeast Texas from across the country. As the president and CEO of the United Way of Beaumont and North Jefferson County, Karyn Husbands and her team were facing how to coordinate with nonprofits across the region.Ìę

Luckily, her team quickly had an answer for the MREs. The Charlton Pollard neighborhood was requesting MREs to feed their residents.Ìę

But what to do about a growing stack of MREs, was just one example of the problem solving Husbands faced during Tropical Storm Harvey.

“One of the challenges was coordinating across agencies to try and address the community’s needs and manage the influx of supplies coming in,” said Husbands. “We had agencies that couldn’t access their offices, and we worked to make sure everyone was in a position to serve the community.”

In the aftermath of the storm, it is the community that sticks with her.

“The way the community came together to help each other is what was so powerful. We had strangers helping strangers, and they never hesitated to help their neighbors. That’s what makes this part of Texas so special.”

And the generosity poured in from across the country. As images of flooded interstates played on the national news, the United Way received donations of water, money and other supplies to help the community. Even the Cincinnati Reds, unprompted, sent a check to help the region.

A year later, Husbands says there is still more to do. The United Way is looking at how to provide financial resources for affected residents as they continue the rebuilding process.

“Even a year later, we’re still digging out of the hole,” said Husbands. “It’s the little things we’re still helping with: linens, replenishing pantries, money for a new stove. But we’re still going to be working with the community to help get everyone back on their feet. It may take years, but we will be here for all those people who need help.”

Can you imagine traveling over 1,000 miles to walk in someone else’s shoes? David Rose, analyst, and Matthew Breland, lineman first class, can. Last September, the pair made the trek from Mississippi to Texas on a volunteer mission. They were helping colleagues clean up their homes destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. ÌęA year later, they’re more grateful than ever for the experience.

When their journey began, Rose and Breland had never met, but they soon learned they had a common goal. They both wanted lift a burden from co-workers dealing with tremendous personal loss.

Rose remembers Hurricane Katrina recovery and knew he wanted to help in Texas. “A Pennsylvania church group showed up during our Katrina cleanup to help. In that moment, I decided I couldn’t use distance as my excuse for helping others,” he said.

Breland’s caring spirit prompted him to volunteer. “The emotional pain of losing your family’s history and the physical labor would be stressful,” he said. “Having someone there to help with those things is something I would find invaluable.”

The duo spent a week clearing damaged furniture and household items from homes. They ripped out carpet and demolished doors and drywall. And, they helped families sort through personal belongings. Sabine Power Station employees Gary Newman and Clint James welcomed the help.

“When you experience the devastation we did, you reflect on what’s gone, but you also have to get on with life,” Newman, a journeyman maintenance operator, said. “Matthew and David weren’t emotionally attached. When they were purging our ruined things, they were helping me let go. That was the beginning of being able to move on.”

Breland and Rose clear debris at one colleague’s home.

James’ family appreciated the outpouring of kindness from strangers. “We are still working to get our home back to normal. If so many people hadn’t given their time to help us, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” the IC&E technician said. “Matthew and David helped us gut our house so we could start our drying out process. They were a tremendous help in moving us toward recovery after this terrible storm.”

James, Breland and Rose take a break from cleanup at the James family home.Ìę

The experience left Breland and Rose with an overwhelming sense of community, too.ÌęToday, Rose is even more grateful he helped fellow employees in need.Ìę

“We removed a little burden with every load of material we took to the street,” Rose said. “That’s what the Entergy family is about. No matter where help is needed, there are good people in our company willing to help.

“There’s so much to do after a devastating storm like Harvey. It’s easy to feel like your contribution is insignificant. When I was in that position, I sincerely appreciated a helping hand, no matter what that hand was doing. I’m glad I was able to pay that kindness forward.”

This is why on the first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey hitting the Lone Star State, Entergy Texas is giving $300,000 to local educators, local governments and nonprofit organizations to replace items that Harvey destroyed.

“Harvey showed the heroes of our communities,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc. “The schools, cities and community organizations were there to help people get back on their feet following the storm. Our contributions today are a sign of our ongoing partnership to make our communities stronger.”

A portion of these contributions will go towards heavily-impacted school districts across Southeast Texas – schools that are still suffering from the hardship of Harvey. Teachers at six independent school districts are getting a total of $89,500 to help makeover their classrooms or buy material and equipment to enhance learning. The donations include:

• $18,000 to Hardin-Jefferson ISD
• $5,000 to Hull-Daisetta ISD
• $6,000 to Hamshire-Fannett ISD
• $22,500 to Little Cypress- Mauriceville ISD
• $23,000 to Vidor ISD
• $15,000 to Orangefield ISD

“We at Vidor ISD are so grateful for the funds to aid our teachers who lost so much, as their classrooms were inundated with floodwaters last August. Veteran teachers suddenly found themselves without teaching materials accumulated over years of faithful service in the classroom. What a devastating loss!” said Sally Andrews, Coordinator of Community Relations at Vidor ISD. “Entergy’s donations to replace what was lost is a great gift. Our teachers are so excited!”Ìę

In addition to schools, Entergy Texas is donating thousands of dollars to local governments and nonprofit agencies, who will use the money for shelters, generators for pump stations, cleaning supplies and Harvey rebuilding. Cities receiving assistance include Kountze, Sour Lake, Ames, Beaumont, Bevil Oaks, China, Nome and Rose City.

“My first experience with Entergy, as an elected official, was with Hurricane Rita,” said Rebecca Ford, Mayor of the City of Bevil Oaks. “Time and time again, disaster after disaster, Entergy has been there for us. This is not just a company that provides electricity for 450,000 customers, with us included. This company hires people who care about their customers and know what it means to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ This is people helping people in the most wonderful way, and we can never thank them enough.”

Libby Arnold, executive director of Community Care Prayer Outreach in Nederland, also has seen the need.

“Although the public seems to think it has been a year and everyone that was displaced is back home, that is not true,” Arnold said. “We get calls every day from individuals who had to leave everything in their residence when they evacuated. When they returned home, the belongings they left behind were gone. These low-income families have to purchase items such as brooms, mops, cleaners for floor, disinfectants, etc. These dollars will help with those expenses.”

Local organizations receiving funding include:

• Community Care Prayer Outreach in Nederland ($5,000 for cleaning supplies for low income citizens)
• First Baptist Church of Kountze ($5,000 for shelter)
• Youth Young Adult Fellowship Alliance in Silsbee ($5,000 for generator and shelter)
• United Way of United Way of Beaumont and North Jefferson County ($5,000 for Harvey rebuilding)
• Vincent de Paul Society ($5,000 for cleaning supplies for low income citizens)
• Other organizations in Entergy Texas’ western region ($70,000)

To distribute the funds, Entergy turned to the Foundation for Southeast Texas, a nonprofit, public charity that accepts funds from donors, manages them and distributes them to nonprofits in the local community.

“Foundation for Southeast Texas is very excited to partner with Entergy Texas on this grant round. This funding will make a huge impact on the rebuilding of our community that is still needed,” said Mellie Bevilacqua, Executive Director of the Foundation for Southeast Texas. “We believe that with these partnerships, we will rebuild southeast Texas stronger than it was before the storm.”

Today’s donations are part of more than $800,000 Entergy has contributed in the past year. They are in addition to $530,000 in relief grants that Entergy already contributed to local agencies shortly after Harvey.Ìę

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 450,000 customers in 27 counties. șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.ÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌę

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Twitter: @EntergyTX

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Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast last year on Aug. 25. For eight days the storm lingered over Entergy Texas’ service area, resulting in power outages to approximately 41 percent of Entergy Texas customers. Within 14 days, Entergy had restored 324,300 outages.

“Harvey was unlike any storm that Entergy Texas has faced,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc.Ìę “Thanks to the hard work of our employees, we were able to get the power back on so our customers can get on with their lives. But our commitment to our customers doesn’t end there.Ìę We are hard at work on strengthening our infrastructure for future storms.”

Harvey’s floodwaters impacted 17 substations, with significant damage to six substations.Ìę

Since Harvey, Entergy has restored all flooded substations and is working to prevent future flooding at the substations that suffered catastrophic flooding. This includes elevating control houses to above historic flood elevations. Substation control houses contain the advanced technology to manage power flow for thousands of customers.

The work is underway at the hardest-hit substations: Vidor Substation in Vidor, Viway Substation in Rose City, Bevil Substation in Bevil Oaks, Amelia Substation in Beaumont and McDonald Substation in Silsbee.

Beyond elevating control houses, other critical substation equipment is being raised. Entergy is also evaluating more substations for flood mitigation.

Additionally, Entergy has taken steps to prepare for future storms, including:Ìę

• Joining the industry group Regional Equipment Sharing for Transmission Outage Restoration. RESTORE aims to more efficiently cooperate and share equipment such as transformers and mobile substations for faster recovery from disasters.
• Participating in several Public Utility Commission of Texas task forces on hurricane restoration best practices. These efforts strengthen the collaboration between other Texas electric utilities and the State of Texas during future extreme weather events.
• Ordering an additional mobile substation – a piece of equipment that played a crucial role in quickly restoring power to affected customers. Entergy also has ordered other equipment to divert floodwaters from critical infrastructure.
• Using data analytics to improve response efforts. The company has conducted flood forecasting based on publicly available information that will better predict water levels, so Entergy can deploy emergency protection at vulnerable equipment in a timely manner.

“Harvey’s impact on our communities didn’t end a year ago. We know that customers and communities continue the rebuilding process, and we want to be there for them,” Rainer said. “Entergy Texas is working to fund grants for nonprofit organizations and educational initiatives that will brighten the lives of so many who were affected by this tragic storm.”

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 450,000 customers in 27 counties. șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

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