Chase’s Houston Team Lends a Hand After Harvey

When Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston, TX area and South Texas coast, Commercial Banking's Middle Market Banking & Specialized Industries (MMBSI) Relationship Executive Buddy W's home was caught in the line of destruction. Buddy's neighborhood and street flooded, and the water level in his home was four feet deep. While the recovery from the flooding will take time, Buddy and his family have been able to start moving forward thanks to his Houston teammates and fellow employees. 

Last week, Buddy, his wife and their two Chihuahuas were evacuated by boat from their home and taken to a dry spot. There he ran into a colleague John R., who was meeting other evacuees. John took Buddy and his family to his house to stay the night.

Once Buddy's team learned his house flooded, they began coordinating a clean-up effort.

“The outpouring of support has been incredible,” says Buddy. “I feel so fortunate that my colleagues banded together to help my family during this difficult time."

The weekend after the hurricane, the team helped clear out Buddy’s house. They worked with Buddy and his wife to identify everything that was salvageable, pack up boxes, put items in a rental truck and move them to a storage facility, and throw away damaged furniture, clothes, etc.

After the house was cleaned out, employees gathered there the next day to help strip all of the sheetrock, take out all of the flooring and cabinets, remove all of the appliances, and spray bleach to kill active mold.

Those who couldn’t be with the team to help pack-up and demo Buddy’s house over the weekend have been very supportive, reaching out to him with notes and offers for future assistance.

In addition to the team’s help, the firm had reached out to see how they could assist him before he was able to call into the employee line. An employee secured him housing—one month at an extended stay hotel —so all he had to do was show up at the hotel with his license instead of worrying about searching for a place to stay.

“It means a lot that someone did that for me,” says Buddy. “Our firm has gone over and beyond in their willingness to help our employees in any way they can.”