A Texas Task Force truck manned with a crew from Midland, Tex., helps the Atascocita Fire Department with high-water rescues.

Crises often bring out the best in us, so when Hurricane Harvey battered the Houston, Tex., area with torrential rains and record flooding, rescuers like F/O Mark Crystal (ExpressJet) didn’t hesitate to step forward to offer their time and talents to help the citizens of America’s fourth-largest city.

A Houston-based E145 pilot, Crystal had joined the Atascocita Fire Department (AFD), near his home in Humble, Tex., the year before. As a volunteer, he earned the rank of engineer operator/firefighter, driving one of the trucks and overseeing water pump operations. When Crystal isn’t flying trips or driving fire trucks, he serves as ALPA’s Air Safety Organization Airport Grounds Environment Group chair. He’s also the Association’s airport safety liaison (ASL) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a job he was recognized for in 2015 when he received ALPA’s Outstanding ASL Award.

Crystal’s firefighting training and brief experience, however, would not fully prepare him for what he was about to experience. On the evening of August 25, Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall at Rockport, Tex. The enormous weather system quickly moved up the coast, downgrading to a tropical storm. However, it stalled in the Houston area, dumping unprecedented rainfall totals for nearly a week.

“Initially, the damage to our community was limited to a small area. We went out on patrols, assessing whether roads were passible and assisting families whose homes had begun to flood,” said Crystal. “Because of the high water in some areas, I could only drive about five miles per hour,” he remembered, adding that he ran his truck’s lights and sirens to answer calls.

The AFD soon set up an emergency operation center at Station 19, on the east side of the fire department’s district, as a staging area for emergencies.

Stormy weather

The pounding rains continued, and by August 28 Lake Houston and the San Jacinto River water levels were well above their banks. The AFD combined forces with the Texas Task Force and other first responders to better reach some of the more water-logged locations. Search-and-rescue efforts were being conducted by boat, and Crystal waded through the water to get to those stranded by the storm.

“There’s something surreal about dealing with people facing this kind of large-scale catastrophe,” Crystal acknowledged. “The look on their faces is hard to describe; a kind-of detached stare that at the same time communicates, ‘Everything I own may be gone, but I’m still alive.’”

A helicopter aids in the evacuation efforts of individuals in need of immediate medical assistance.

Assessing the damage

The heavy rains continued for the next few days then finally diminished. Amid submerged cars and street signs, Crystal and the AFD continued to cruise Harris County neighborhoods. The ExpressJet pilot also spent portions of his 36- to 48-hour shifts manning the staging area, accounting for people and helping them relocate to nearby shelters. Because of the extent of the devastation, the city of Humble opened its downtown Civic Center to accommodate dislocated residents after local churches and other facilities became overwhelmed with Harvey refugees.

The AFD reported that 664 homes in the northeastern suburb of Houston were moderately to severely damaged by Harvey. During the week-long incident, the AFD rescued more than 300 people and nearly 80 animals and responded to 345 emergency medical calls. By the time the weather system tracked northeast to Louisiana, local storm-water gauges registered more than 40 inches.

“The volume of help and support we’ve received has been incredible,” said Crystal, noting that thousands of people have come from all over the country to lend a hand. “The coordination alone for an event like this has been truly eye-opening.”

And while many area businesses are once again open, other parts of the community continue to rebuild. No doubt, Humble and Atascocita will bear scars of Harvey for many years to come. But Crystal, whose home escaped with minor damage, remains hopeful that with the help of the community those affected by the hurricane will recover and rebuild.