Rockport family receives a new home nearly two years after Hurricane Harvey

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A C-130 touched down at Corpus Christi International Airport as a part of an evacuation drill to prepare for severe weather. David Silva Ramirez, Wochit

Almost two years after Hurricane Harvey tore down their Rockport home, the eight-member Robertson family received a new one big enough to accommodate them.

Curtis and Cortny Robertson and their six children were welcomed into their furnished, decorated four-bedroom home Tuesday afternoon.

The construction of the residence was a part of a collaboration of Habitat for Humanity in Aransas Pass, the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, the Mennonite Disaster Service, the Rockport Fulton Chamber Foundation, the Coastal Bend Food Bank and Save the Children.

Cortny and Curtis Robertson recalled the devastation that they felt when they saw Harvey’s destruction. At that time, the couple had already been working to rebuild their home after a 2014 fire caused severe damages.

The work that had been done after the fire was completely erased.

“We were overwhelmed with the fire,” Curtis said. “Then with Harvey, it was like starting all over again.”

In the aftermath of the hurricane, Curtis started to rebuild again, but the family had to be crammed in a small home while rebuilding took place.

Curtis began extending the home to accommodate their large family, but reconstructing for a second time was becoming a slow and expensive process, made more complicated when Curtis had open-heart surgery in March.

Cortny got a call from Patty Butters, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Aransas Pass. Butters had heard about the Robertsons’ situation and was looking to help fund the construction of a new home for the family.

Cortny said once Butters got involved, the process moved incredibly fast.

“I just did what she asked me to do and they took care of the rest,” she said.

The process of building this specific home happened much quicker than usual, according to Butters.

As Habitat for Humanity began putting the funding and organizations together, Butters said, many factors came together.

The family was moved to a rental home accommodated by the various organizations. The Mennonite Disaster Service volunteer network led the majority of the early stage of construction and found itself focusing a lot of it’s resources on the home.

“All the houses that (the Mennonites) were working on, for whatever reason, permits weren’t coming through,” Butters said. “So everybody was hands on deck on this house.”

The family participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, attended by members of the various charities.

“This is a fresh start for us,” Cortny said during the ceremony.

 The family was give a bible, a letter and a quilt courtesy of the Mennonite volunteer group.

The large home will allow 11-year-old Faith, the oldest, to have her own room. Joshua, 9, Landon, 7, and Logan, 5, will share a room with a triple bunk bed. The youngest siblings, Madison, 3, and Caleb, who is 7 months, will also share a room.

The Robertsons said that they are grateful — and that the idea of them being in permanent home still hadn’t settled in.

“I’m just kind of numb to this whole thing,” Curtis said. “It’s an awesome thing. It’s a God-given blessing.”

Butters said she is grateful to everyone who worked together for benefit of this family.

“All of this comes from the heart of people in Texas willing to share their money and help have this family back in their home,” she said. ““This is the first time they’re in a place with real space in years.”

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