HEROES of HARVEY
SCOUT AT HEART
Eagle Scout heads home from college to help with rescues after Harvey.
A aron Arcos grew up volunteering. As a Boy Scout, he earned the Eagle rank.
“I think scouting gave him a lot of values and traits that he took to heart,” said his father, Mike.
The 18-year-old was attending classes as a freshman at Sam Houston State University when Harvey hit.
“We were worried about him,” Mike Arcos said. “He was also worried about us.”
Aaron watched the traffic reports from Huntsville.
“It was hard to see my hometown being destroyed like that and not being able to do anything about it,” he said. “The second the freeways cleared, I headed to Houston.”
First, he went to check on his grandmother’s house, walking through high waters to get there. She had evacuated, but the family wondered how the house had fared. Next he met up with a friend in Kingwood, Gus Gonzalez, who had a bay boat, and they headed to Beaumont. The route was too flooded, so they had to turn back. They returned to Kingwood, picked up kayaks and life jackets and began their water rescues.
“My buddy put the word out on Facebook and Twitter, ‘If anyone needs help, call,’” Aaron said. “We took two kayaks and a canoe and paddled out into the streets.”
His whitewater experience helped him get families to safety.
“I’ve experienced high waves and learned rescue techniques,” Aaron said. “I definitely feel that scouting gave me the confidence to do all that I had to do without hesitation.”
Next he headed out Interstate 10 to the neighborhoods flooded by Addicks Reservoir. At one house, he had to bust down the door because the water was already too high inside.
After the water receded, Aaron headed back to his grandmother’s house to remove the flooded furniture and muck it out.
“I helped as much as I could, whenever I could,” he said.
That’s his nature, Mike Arcos said. Before college, Aaron volunteered for 10 years at MD Anderson and the YMCA. For his Eagle Scout project, he built a podium with a full sound system and a shadow box at the American Legion in Oak Forest.
“He just does it all with such love and enthusiasm,” said his grandmother, Kandy Hernandez. “He has a big heart.”
College student heads home to help with rescues