When Houston Needed Help, East Texas Responded.

When Hurricane Harvey brought catastrophic flooding to the Houston area in 2017, communities across East Texas began looking for ways to help.

SERVPRO of Lufkin/S. Nacogdoches County used its relationships throughout the community to help organize a local relief effort. What started as a desire to assist quickly grew into a partnership involving schools, civic organizations, healthcare providers, businesses, insurance professionals, and local families.

Organizations Participating

• Raguet Elementary School in Nacogdoches
• Angelina Rotary Club
• Lufkin Rotary Club
• Urgent Doc
• The Children's Clinic
• Local Farmers Insurance agents
• The Salvation Army
• The Center for Sight

Together, the partners collected essential supplies, organized donations, loaded vehicles, and helped transport assistance from East Texas to families affected by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.

Raguet Elementary students, families, and educators helped demonstrate that community service can begin at any age. Members of the Angelina and Lufkin Rotary clubs brought their established commitment to service. Local healthcare providers, businesses, insurance agents, and The Salvation Army added their resources, relationships, and community reach.

SERVPRO helped connect those organizations around one common purpose: getting meaningful assistance to people facing an overwhelming disaster.

Most of the local effort was documented through the franchise's Facebook page, where photographs and updates showed East Texans gathering donations, preparing supplies, and working together.

At the same time, SERVPRO franchises and disaster-recovery teams from across the country were responding to properties affected by the storm. CNN covered SERVPRO's larger national Hurricane Harvey response, showing the enormous scale of the recovery effort taking place across Texas.

The CNN coverage focused on SERVPRO's national response, while the East Texas supply drive was a locally organized community initiative. Both reflected the same principle: recovery begins when people respond.

For SERVPRO of Lufkin/S. Nacogdoches County, the project represented more than hurricane relief. It demonstrated what can happen when relationships built through schools, Rotary clubs, healthcare organizations, businesses, and community service are brought together during a time of need.

When Houston needed help, East Texas answered.