Melton Sisters Harvey Relief Fund
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My name is Oswell Melton. I am a native of Houston. I am currently living in San Diego, CA. Unfortunately three of my sisters were affected by hurricane Harvey. Two homes and one, two bedroom apartment were flooded as well as two vehicles. FEMA has been filed but will not begin to compensate for the loses. All additional funds will be used to help neighbors. Please join me in helping my sisters and neighbors get their homes back in order. Here is a portion an article published September 3, by Nidhi Prakash, a news reporter for BuzzFeed News, covering two of my sisters.
My third system Sheryl Melton lives in a different area of Houston and is not included in this article.
Houston's Historically Black Neighborhoods Are Struggling After The Storm
"When you think about it, it just hurts because this is so typical for our end of town."
Posted on September 3, 2017, at 6:01 a.m.
Nidhi PrakashBuzzFeed News Reporter
Reporting From
Houston, Texas
Mary Melton
HOUSTON — Mary Melton struggled to hold onto her walker as she waded through water that was chest-deep at times to escape from the flooding that rushed into her home in northeast Houston.
Melton, who uses a walker or a cane to get around, pushed her way through the water for a mile and a half before reaching relatively dry ground, and taking shelter at a friend’s house.
“I felt like, 'am I going to be able to do it?,'" the 59-year-old recalled. "But then I said, 'god, I’m going to have to be able to do it.'"
Nearly a week later, she returned to her home for the first time since leaving in the early hours of Sunday. Though the water has receded in this part of town, it’s left a visible trail of destruction.
The interior wall in Melton’s front room stood exposed, stripped bare because of water damage. Her floors were partly ripped up and what few belongings remained in the house were piled high on tables.
Nidhi Prakash for BuzzFeed News
“It makes me feel like just giving up. It’s just too much. Just let it go. Find another state and move. Just let it go,” she said, peering into her waterlogged home.
Like many Houstonians, Melton doesn’t have flood insurance. She survives off her disability payments and isn't sure if she can afford to make her home livable again. She's dealing with both the uncertainty over what will become of her house and the trauma of evacuating last week without much assistance.
“It makes me want to cry when I start to think about it because we saw no help,” Melton said. “To go out in my area, I thought I’d see somebody come to help me. When you think about it, it just hurts because this is so typical for our end of town. It’s just hard when you can’t do anything about it. When you own your property, you want to stay and hold on to what you have. We are always left out, unless it’s churches or local businesses.”
Kashmere Gardens
Pop. 10,842 — 69% black Median household income: $21,492
Trinity / Houston Gardens
Pop. 18,110 — 70% black Median household income: $25,409
Melton’s 37-year-old son-in-law, Travis Curtis, happened to be in town from Salt Lake City when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. He’s been clearing out the house and stripping the walls, and plans to fix as much of his mother’s house as he can in the next week.
In Trinity Gardens, the predominantly black neighborhood where Melton lives, and in neighboring Kashmere Gardens, the extent of the storm’s damage varied greatly from block to block. But returning a week later, it was clear that most of Melton’s neighbors had lost the bulk of their possessions, and that many didn’t have insurance or a financial safety net to help repair their homes. The median income for Kashmere Gardens residents is $21,492 per year. In Trinity Gardens, it's $25,409.
Both neighborhoods are lined with modest, one-story homes. On Saturday in Trinity Gardens, piles of furniture and personal belongings were stacked on the curbs lining Melton’s street, giving off a strong, musty odor under the Houston sun. Some FEMA inspections have begun, but many are still waiting for an assessment of the cost of the damage and how much the government might help.
The city of Houston did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what services and resources it is providing to the neighborhoods in the wake of the storm.
Nidhi Prakash for BuzzFeed News
Next door to Mary Melton’s home, her sister Lydia Melton, 57, sat on her front porch with a dust mask lifted up to her forehead. Taking a break from the exhausting work of cleaning and gutting her house, she looked out at the mountain of furniture and clothes on the curb in front of her.
Lydia Melton
“I had that stuff for 25, 30 years and it hurt me so much to get rid of it,” Lydia Melton said. She didn’t have flood insurance either, and has no idea how much assistance from FEMA she might receive. Melton also survives off disability benefits, of about $1,900 per month.
My third system Sheryl Melton lives in a different area of Houston and is not included in this article.
Houston's Historically Black Neighborhoods Are Struggling After The Storm
"When you think about it, it just hurts because this is so typical for our end of town."
Posted on September 3, 2017, at 6:01 a.m.
Nidhi PrakashBuzzFeed News Reporter
Reporting From
Houston, Texas
Mary MeltonHOUSTON — Mary Melton struggled to hold onto her walker as she waded through water that was chest-deep at times to escape from the flooding that rushed into her home in northeast Houston.
Melton, who uses a walker or a cane to get around, pushed her way through the water for a mile and a half before reaching relatively dry ground, and taking shelter at a friend’s house.
“I felt like, 'am I going to be able to do it?,'" the 59-year-old recalled. "But then I said, 'god, I’m going to have to be able to do it.'"
Nearly a week later, she returned to her home for the first time since leaving in the early hours of Sunday. Though the water has receded in this part of town, it’s left a visible trail of destruction.
The interior wall in Melton’s front room stood exposed, stripped bare because of water damage. Her floors were partly ripped up and what few belongings remained in the house were piled high on tables.
Nidhi Prakash for BuzzFeed News “It makes me feel like just giving up. It’s just too much. Just let it go. Find another state and move. Just let it go,” she said, peering into her waterlogged home.
Like many Houstonians, Melton doesn’t have flood insurance. She survives off her disability payments and isn't sure if she can afford to make her home livable again. She's dealing with both the uncertainty over what will become of her house and the trauma of evacuating last week without much assistance.
“It makes me want to cry when I start to think about it because we saw no help,” Melton said. “To go out in my area, I thought I’d see somebody come to help me. When you think about it, it just hurts because this is so typical for our end of town. It’s just hard when you can’t do anything about it. When you own your property, you want to stay and hold on to what you have. We are always left out, unless it’s churches or local businesses.”
Kashmere Gardens
Pop. 10,842 — 69% black Median household income: $21,492
Trinity / Houston Gardens
Pop. 18,110 — 70% black Median household income: $25,409
Melton’s 37-year-old son-in-law, Travis Curtis, happened to be in town from Salt Lake City when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. He’s been clearing out the house and stripping the walls, and plans to fix as much of his mother’s house as he can in the next week.
In Trinity Gardens, the predominantly black neighborhood where Melton lives, and in neighboring Kashmere Gardens, the extent of the storm’s damage varied greatly from block to block. But returning a week later, it was clear that most of Melton’s neighbors had lost the bulk of their possessions, and that many didn’t have insurance or a financial safety net to help repair their homes. The median income for Kashmere Gardens residents is $21,492 per year. In Trinity Gardens, it's $25,409.
Both neighborhoods are lined with modest, one-story homes. On Saturday in Trinity Gardens, piles of furniture and personal belongings were stacked on the curbs lining Melton’s street, giving off a strong, musty odor under the Houston sun. Some FEMA inspections have begun, but many are still waiting for an assessment of the cost of the damage and how much the government might help.
The city of Houston did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what services and resources it is providing to the neighborhoods in the wake of the storm.
Nidhi Prakash for BuzzFeed News Next door to Mary Melton’s home, her sister Lydia Melton, 57, sat on her front porch with a dust mask lifted up to her forehead. Taking a break from the exhausting work of cleaning and gutting her house, she looked out at the mountain of furniture and clothes on the curb in front of her.
Lydia Melton“I had that stuff for 25, 30 years and it hurt me so much to get rid of it,” Lydia Melton said. She didn’t have flood insurance either, and has no idea how much assistance from FEMA she might receive. Melton also survives off disability benefits, of about $1,900 per month.
Organizer
Oswell Melton
Organizer
San Diego, CA
