The highest house on the block becomes a shelter and launches Dat Tran into action.
Dat Tran
Highest house on the block becomes a shelter and launches executive into action
D at Tran didn’t know his Bellaire home had the highest elevation on the block until Hurricane Harvey hit.
His was the only house that didn’t flood. Tran’s home was dry ground. In fact, a NBC news photo of a National Guardsman standing in Tran’s front yard, surrounded by water, illustrated the widespread flooding for a world audience.
As the water began to rise, Tran watched as neighbors loaded up their cars with their belongings to escape to higher ground. He knew it wasn’t safe to leave, so the Southern Company Gas Pipelines president, with his wife and three children, opened their home to six neighboring families, including a newborn, and some seven dogs.
“It was definitely an unusual situation,” said Tran, 47. “You can’t say you care about floors or anything when people are flooded.”
It was just one night, and Tran and his family shared dinner with their house guests as a generator kept the refrigerator and freezer running. Tran slept on the recliner with a flashlight within arm’s reach to check on the rising water through the night. By morning, the water had begun to recede, but that was just the beginning Tran’s heroism.
His company set out to make sure employees, who were impacted by the hurricane, were taken care of. Tran helped with remediation of the homes of some employees, as well as organized teams of volunteers to help with remediation of homes of neighbors.
“We did everything — removed sheetrock and carpet, boxed up clothes, moved out trash. We just kept going because our employees needed our help,” he said.
Peter Tumminello, the group president of Southern Company Gas, worked with Tran to organize the relief efforts. “Dat was extraordinary,” Tumminello said. “He approached this like a business problem. He never said no. He set the tone and rallied the troops.”
Tran said while he never had done demolition work before the hurricane, he soon became an expert. He got a few nicks and cuts and stepped on a nail, but those were small sacrifices compared to the satisfaction he felt in helping others in need, he said.
“It’s so important for people to know the human spirit has so much to give. You get back so much when you give,” he said.