Flooded nursing home residents speak out after Harvey

DICKINSON, Texas (KTRK) —

Following a plea heard all across social media, dozens of residents of a Dickinson nursing home have been safely evacuated in the midst of the epic flooding gripping the greater Houston area.

“We were amazed no one was rescuing us,” said Trudy Lampson.

Lampson sent her daughter the photo of residents of La Vita Bella seemingly calmly sitting in wheelchairs and on sofas in water greater than waist-deep. It was widely circulated across social media.

John Newton was calling about his 99-year-old mother, Elizabeth, when he took matters into his own hands.

After a 45 minute ride in his friend’s boat, John was the first to arrive at the Dickinson home.

“The ladies were sitting there and one asked, ‘Are you here to get us?’ And I said I’m sorry, we’re going to take as many as we possibly can,” said Newton.

Newton rescued his mother, and some others, while emergency crews eventually reached the rest.

The building is already prepped for re-construction. Lampson reflected on the decision to stay and showed us the facility’s lengthy emergency plans, but says like her neighbors, she was caught off guard.

“If we thought it was a threat, its never flooded, then street has never flooded,” said Lampson.

Dickinson was hit hard by the flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Newton’s mother is recovering in a nearby facility, and he looks forward to the day he can bring her back.

“This is her home, this is her family, and she misses them,” said Newton.

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