By Michael Stoll
mke.stoll@austindailyherald.com

Linda Lewis is 61 years old and has lived in her Port Arthur home in the 4000 block of Ninth Avenue since 1993. In all of that time, she never had trouble with flooding.
But now, she lives in an RV behind her home because 100 percent of her house was damaged by flood water from Tropical Storm Harvey. Inside, the house has been gutted because of extensive mold growth. Like many residents with mold, she contacted the office of Jefferson County Precinct Three Commissioner Michael “Shane” Sinegal for help.
“The water rose so fast,” she said about the night of the storm. As the floodwaters rose, she had to sit on a bar in her household as she waited for help. She and her daughter were eventually saved by a neighbor and able to make it to his house, where the water was only up to their ankles.
After the storm, the effort to get her house taken care of hit a roadblock. Lewis, whose husband passed away in August before the storm, did not have flood insurance on the house. Compounding the difficulty of the situation is the fact that Lewis can not work because her daughter has autism.
“I have to be close to the school in case she has a breakdown,” she said, referring to frequent episodes her daughter endures. “I have to be able to get to the school to get her to snap out of it.”
Lewis contacted Sinegal’s office after hearing he was coordinating help for people whose homes were still affected by mold on the news last week.
“They were very quick,” she said. “I called one day, they interviewed me the next, and (Wednesday) they came and took everything out.”
Sinegal’s office coordinated a clean-up effort with a church based out of Austin.
“Everything was still soaking in water when they were taking it out two months after,” Lewis said. “They had to take everything out. I lost everything.”
Despite the help, Lewis does not know if she will ever get her house back in order. She has already been denied aid by FEMA.
“I have no flood insurance and I faxed the papers to FEMA to prove that,” she said. “They denied me because they claim I have insurance because my husband had a wind and hail policy with Walker’s. But I don’t have flood insurance with them and I have to wait 90 days to appeal it.”
Lewis said FEMA wants to place her and her daughter in an apartment, but she said it is not possible because her daughter needs to be in a quiet environment to avoid having a break down.

In the meantime, all she can do is wait to appeal.
“There is no way I can put my house back together,” she said.
While some are still waiting for mold cleanup, others have had happier endings.
Deborah Walker, who has resided at her address in the 2100 block of 17th Street of Port Arthur for over 30 years, called Commissioner Sinegal a “guardian angel.”
“They had people here (Wednesday) morning to get the mold out and they did a great job,” she said, unable to hide her jubilation. “Now we are mold free, thank the Lord!”
Walker said she lost her original house to Hurricane Rita in 2005. Her current house was rebuilt at the same site and took in two feet of water during Tropical Storm Harvey. Her brother-in-law helped her escape during the storm, but she was unable to return to her home until early September.
“After I returned, I had to live in the house with the mold in it because I had nowhere else to go,” she said.
Sinegal’s office coordinated with Greater Macedonia Baptist Church in Port Arthur to help clean-up Walker’s residence.
“I thank God for the church, for Shane, and for the workers that came and did the work,” she said. “They are a blessing.”
Some who contacted Sinegal’s office were fortunate enough to not have mold in their homes, as was the case with Port Arthur resident Henrietta Smith.
“I wouldn’t have had any idea if I had mold or not,” she said.
Smith, a 35-year Port Arthur resident, has lived at her current residence in the 2000 block of Dequeen Boulevard for three years. Her home took in about a foot of water from Tropical Storm Harvey.
“You could see the water rushing down Dequeen,” she said.
Smith was able to stay with her daughter until returning to her house. With the help of her family, she was able to get the carpet and furniture out quickly. She lost all of her beds and most of her furniture.
After contacting Sinegal’s office, volunteers from Mount Sinai Baptist Church came to her house and checked for mold and fortunately they found none.
Although no mold was found, Smith was grateful that Sinegal helped her check.

“I thank God for Mr. Sinegal,” she said. “I’m blessed. God blessed me with my life and I can live in my house.”
Anyone who has mold in their home and is in need of help is encouraged to call Commissioner Sinegal’s office at 409-983-8300. Elderly, handicapped, and residents with health problems receive top priority.