'I had a natural instinct to help; it did not feel right to sit at home'

It’s been a busy week for Angela Franco and her husband, John Gomez. Like countless others around our community, they have rolled up their sleeves — and their pant legs when needed — to help make sure that those in need are safe and well fed.

“I’m a nurse, and a CPR and first aid instructor. I also own a child-care facility in Highlands. So when this all started, I had a natural instinct to help others. It did not feel right to sit at home. Saturday morning my husband and I went out with a friend on his boat. We made it to Meadowlake Village, and we started rescuing people. At one point a lady was showing signs of a heart attack. I went into her home, got her meds and kept her stable. We loaded her into a side-by-side to move her to drier ground, and I stayed with her until first responders got there.

“On Sunday we began cooking for first responders and volunteers. We delivered food to three different fire stations using our cousin’s lifted Jeep to make it through the high water. When we got to the fire station on Garth Road, they were filled with so much joy. I felt blessed to be able to help them.”

After a few more rescues and a close call of their own, they decided that they were better suited to cook than rescue. Their pit has been fired up and going non-stop ever since. They cooked for residents in Pinehurst on Thursday, and they were at The Chute today cooking for those who needed a hot meal.

“On Thursday we were serving a family with small children. I smiled and said, ‘Hi, sweetie,’ to this little girl. She jumped out of her car seat, wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me so hard. She didn’t want to let go. Her mom said she was so upset because her baby dolls were wet and ruined, and she had nothing to play with. She was too young to understand why.

“Since I run a childcare, I just so happened to have a bag of stuffed animals and puppets, and a baby doll. When I gave the doll to her, the light in her eyes was amazing. It turned out that the doll was exactly like the one she had lost in the flooding. At that point, it all made sense why we were doing what we were doing. My home was not affected by flooding at all, but my heart sure was. Cooking was the best way we knew how to help. We know these families lost everything and were not able to cook, so we stepped in.

“I grew up in this town. This is our home. We’re Baytown strong. And I wanted to teach my kids that this is what we do as Texans.

— Angela Franco

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 or experiences related to this historic weather event, send us a message on our Facebook or Instagram pages or email baytownproject@gmail.com.