'He said that our children needed him to save me'

As Hurricane Harvey delayed the start of the school year in Baytown, it also put at risk many local students, teachers and coaches. Among those were Bren Jones and his wife, Norma Picacio-Jones. Bren, the head football coach at Goose Creek Memorial High School, ventured into deep waters to help rescue members of his coaching staff and their families.

“My girlfriends and I were relaying messages to Bren about the coaches and teachers who needed help. As we sat waiting, I thought about how at 6:15 a.m. when he left, all I had fed him was the Nexium and blood pressure medicine I shoved in his mouth after he brushed his teeth. I didn’t even send him off with a bottle of water after a quick kiss. I selfishly begged through phone texts for him not to endanger his life, knowing well that he never thought of himself. He promised me he would return. I had to believe him because he had saved me and (our dog) Sophie first.

“I think now about how much I fought and argued with him the night before we left our flooded home. I did not want to leave. I told him I was going to go to our top floor or the roof if I had to, but I was not going out in that flooded street to drown. I saw my brother drown at South Padre Island, and his body was never recovered. Bren knew my fear. But he begged me to go with him because he said that our children needed him to save me. He asked that I believe him. My daughter, Claudia, called me from Fort Worth and begged me to be strong and to listen. Bren and I argued long and hard. In the end he won. He promised me that I wouldn't die, and I waded in that water until he got me into his truck. Later on, I thought about how much I wanted to feed Bren food and to send him out again to save others. But before he came home, our new temporary home, he drove to Kroger in Pasadena to stand in line to buy food.”

— Norma Picacio-Jones

Bren drove around in his truck for nearly 12 hours to assist with rescues, including those of GCM assistant head coach Bobby Locke, his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, and coach Cody Robertson and his girlfriend, Kiersten Newman. He also contacted his other coaches to ensure they were safe.

Hurricane Harvey is having a major impact on the lives of people in Baytown and surrounding communities. If you would like to share your thoughts on this historic weather event, send us a message on our Facebook or Instagram pages or email baytownproject@gmail.com.