HEROES of HARVEY

Hazelton Street

James Andreatos and Willowbend residents came together for water rescues.

James Andreatos and Willowbend residents come together for water rescues

By Lindsay Peyton J ames Andreatos was more prepared for Harvey than he had ever been for a hurricane. That’s one of the reasons he was able to rise to the occasion and become a hero in his neighborhood — and across the city as well.

After getting his generators out of storage, stocking his fridge and buying a couple of extra window units, Andreatos loaded up on gas. He even topped off his 23-foot fishing boat, just in case he had to syphon some out of the tank to run a generator or his truck.

“I never expected to launch my boat in the street,” he said. But that’s exactly what he ended up doing for the next three days. His favorite fishing vessel transformed into a relief vehicle when the floodwaters rose.

Andreatos lives on Hazelton in the Willowbend neighborhood. remembers watching as the storm roll in.

“It rained and it rained and it rained,” he recalled. “I went to bed, and it was still raining.”

His street has a bit of a grade to it, and when he woke up the next morning, he noticed water rushing down. The roads below turned into rivers. He saw his neighbor Brian Sasser outside, and the two headed to check on an elderly woman who lives alone on their street.

“We took an inner tube and waded across the 5-feet-deep water,” Andreatos said.

They rescued the woman and brought her back to Sasser’s house. “Then, my phone started ringing,” Andreatos said.

Friends were calling saying they were stranded. Andreatos and neighbor Paul Loupe leaped into their kayaks, towing rafts behind them, heading to the families in need. As they neared Loop 610, however, the current became treacherous.

“We quickly realized there would be no way that we’d be able to make it, especially not pulling a family of five,” Andreatos said.

They returned home exhausted from the effort. Andreatos realized the water in the street was deep enough that he could launch onto Hazelton.

“I didn’t know how else we were going to help everybody,” he said. “The decision was made.”

“I thought he was crazy,” Sasser said. “His boat is huge. I told him, ‘You can’t take that boat out.’ ”

His wife Brandy also questioned his idea. Andreatos told her: “There are too many people trapped in their homes. Even if I lose the entire thing, I think it’s worth it just to try.”

Sasser and a crew of other neighbors, including Loupe, Brian Robertson and Kirk SchwartHe zenburg, agreed to the expedition.

“They jumped into the boat, and off we went,” Andreatos said.

The next eight hours were nonstop rescues. They transported the evacuees back to Hazleton, where families were waiting to help unload the boat and direct people to where they could get dry clothes and something to eat. The Hazelton neighbors offered their homes to strangers.

“Everyone on the street said, ‘How can I help?’ ” Sasser said.

The next day, the men of Hazelton headed to Memorial to continue rescues. The following morning, they went to Katy.

“The devastation was overwhelming,” he said. “It was hard to see. Your heart just hurts, but on the other side of it was this human spirit, the spirit of Houston, the spirit of Texas, of people helping others no matter what.”