PORT NECHES — Just off Twin City Highway is the winding Saba Lane, where streets branch off into upscale neighborhoods with perfectly manicured lawns—some of which now hold piles of flood damaged debris.

Piles of sheetrock, wooden flooring, furniture, appliances and more are neatly stacked awaiting the arrival of DRC, the debris removal contractor for Port Neches.

Kay Voight, who lives on Castle Circle, has spent more than a week — sometimes with volunteer help, sometimes by herself — tossing out the flood damaged belongings and sorting through what can be salvaged. A retired teacher, Voight enjoys collecting antiques and he home was a showstopper with vintage items, collectibles and historical family photographs.

“I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on boxes and paper to pack away items,” Voight said.

Earlier on about 15 people from First Baptist Church of Corsicana came in to help. She’s not able to live in the home and got in contact with Paul and Doris Humplik of Eagle Storage in Nederland who offered their services.

Voight is also leasing an apartment in Nederland, she said.

The work to clear out the home is tiresome and likely contributed to her falling at her apartment and spraining her wrist on Wednesday. She now sports a neon pink wrap on her wrist and a hospital bracelet on the other.

Like many area residents Voight stayed at her home during the catastrophic flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. Though her driveway is on an incline and seemingly high, she still saw flooding.

“On the night of the storm a mama cat with four babies showed up right here,” Voight said, tearing up while pointing to the door threshold. “She (mama cat) was at the waters’ edge. I picked up each kitten and put them in a box and the mama cat licked them clean. We found one later, half drowned, it didn’t make it.”

Across the street Phil Croft, a contractor from Nederland who came out of retirement to assist people affected by the flood, opened the door to a home he’s working on. The homeowner, Ms. Hinton, had stayed but at 2 a.m. was rescued by boat by a neighbor and brought to Nederland.

About 300 homes in Port Neches received damage in addition to a number of businesses. The level of damage ranges from minor to significant depending on the water level, Port Neches City Manager Andre Wimer said.

The Saba Lane area was the hardest hit in the city, likely due to its proximity to a drainage canal. The amount and intensity of the rainfall exceeded the capacity of the area’s drainage systems, which led to the flooding.

City personnel remained working before, during and after the storm and the police department, fire department, public works personnel assisted in rescue operations. The Port Neches-Groves Independent School District also provided much needed support and assistance to the city before, during and after the storm, he said.

With a few exceptions, the city is on its way to recovery.

The debris removal contractor for the city is DRC and the debris monitoring firm is Tetra Tech.

“The contractor initiated debris pick up on Wednesday, Sept. 6.  At this point, the “first pass” of debris collection is nearly complete,” Wimer said. “Incidentally and as you may remember from previous agendas, Port Neches, Groves and Nederland jointly bid the debris removal and debris monitoring contractors. Our first meeting with DRC was on Friday, Sept. 1 in order to start planning the debris removal process and to allow DRC to obtain necessary resources in order to begin pick up the following week, on Sept. 6.”

The city resumed garbage pickup on Sept. 1 once the landfill reopened and was in operation. In order to catch up from the storm week, city crews also picked up garbage on  Sept. 2 and Sept. 4, Labor Day.