How the "Derecho" and "Beryl" affirmed my faith in cohousing

As a native Houstonian, I have experienced many natural disasters: Hurricane Alicia (1983), Tropical storm Allison (2001), Hurricane Ike (2008), Memorial Day Flood (2015), Tax Day Flood (2016), Harvey (2017), Great Texas Freeze (2021) and this year, the Derecho and Hurricane Beryl.  All these extreme weather events left Houston temporarily paralyzed, literally and figuratively powerless, and resulted in costly damages.  Some neighborhoods and communities were hit harder than others depending on infrastructure, elevation, vegetation and response time.   

I was a single Mom with an 8-year-old daughter when Alicia hit in ‘83.  We lived in a 2-bedroom garage apartment in the Heights that shared a courtyard with a 4-plex brick building.  I remember feeling our apartment swaying during the night and being terrified about what might happen to us.  Fortunately, I was able to call a neighbor who lived in the 4-plex apartment building who was also awake and nervous.  My daughter and I ran across the courtyard to her apartment which felt more stable and secure and we weathered the storm together.  Fortunately, neither my garage apartment nor the 4-plex incurred damage, though a tall palm tree fell and landed in the courtyard.  

When tropical storm Allison hit, I was with a friend at a restaurant in Meyerland near my home.  We barely made it from the restaurant to my house, through the strong winds and heavy rain, where we sheltered in place for the next two days, watching news stories about flooding, rescues and the Katy freeway being under water.  Again, I was somewhat comforted to have a friend to weather that storm with me.  My home narrowly escaped the flooding and damage Allison brought to many homes and buildings, including the medical center.

When Ike hit Houston in 2008, I was living in a townhome community in the area now known as EADO.  Our townhomes held up fine but like many Houstonians, we were without power for days.  Oddly, half the townhomes had power restored within a few days while the other half did not for several days longer.  However, the community came together, sharing power with heavy duty electrical cords running between homes.  I hosted my daughter and future son-in-law and shared meals and stories.  It was good to have my loved ones and neighbors close by during that time.

Fast forward to the devastating flood events in 2015, 2016 and Harvey in 2017.  My daughter was married with two babies living in Meyerland where their home flooded twice, Memorial Day 2015 and Harvey 2017.  I bought a home a mile away from her to provide support for the kids.  Knowing our homes were again at risk, we evacuated a couple of days before Harvey hit.  My daughter and family went to Austin while I stayed with a dear friend in Midtown.  My friend and I hunkered down together and gathered with neighbors for meals, games and tequila shots (essential for the nerves).  As the rain came down nonstop those long hours, I exchanged texts to get updates from my Meyerland next door neighbor, who stayed home with her family.  Of course, no one could verify the state of our homes until the rain finally stopped.

Unfortunately, my daughter’s home flooded a second time. But fortunately, my home did not, and I moved my essentials to Midtown and let my daughter and family live temporarily in my fully furnished 3-bedroom home.  I am forever grateful for the ability to provide a safe place for them to live and recover, and to my dear friend for opening her home to me and allowing that to happen.  Together, we shared resources, meals, life stories, moral support, cheered the Astros on to victory and began our path to CoHousing Houston.

A lot has changed post-Harvey.  We endured the isolation and losses of the COVID pandemic, a freaky winter freeze with rolling power outages, and economic impact of supply and demand challenges on our daily lives and future housing plans.  CoHousing Houston’s project was not immune to these economic challenges, having to scale back certain features and defer non-essential amenities due to rising construction costs and materials. The timeline has been stretched beyond our original plan for various reasons outside of our control.  Some members left the project for personal reasons and the thought of abandoning ship may have crossed the minds of others.

But when this year’s Derecho and Beryl came barreling into Houston with little warning and wreaked havoc on many Houstonians causing widespread losses and property damages, I realized that a community sharing resources and support was everything and living in a cohousing community was the best option.  There’s little doubt that extreme weather events are things of the future.  I can prepare for a storm with water, food, and batteries, but it would not take away the anxiety and loneliness that creeps in while waiting out an extreme weather event.  The need to connect with others during such an event is great and the collective knowledge and wisdom attained in a CoHousing community is invaluable.  Why would I choose to weather future storms alone if there is a better way? More affirming is how well the CoHousing construction stood up against these past two events, thanks to our forward thinking and experienced lead architect.  The CoHousing Houston community exhaled and carried on with the work.

Yes, the CoHousing Houston project has been a longer journey than expected, with bumps along the road.  But we continue to persevere together and are beginning to see the light break through the clouds after the storm.