The house of Nathan and Audrey Rich in Center Point, Texas, was completely destroyed by the disastrous floods that swept through the central region of the state. However, the couple’s wedding picture book, which had been soaked and inundated with water, was retrieved the day after the floods occurred.
People reports that the couple has expressed their feelings of being overwhelmed “in a good way” by the way in which their community has joined together to assist one another.
“It has really restored our faith in humanity,” says Audrey Rich, a bank cashier who is 23 years old.
Audrey received a phone call from a friend early on the morning of Friday, July 4, who roused her up and instructed her to go outside and look around. When she opened the door, she noticed a home out on the river floating in the water.
Her husband, Nathan Rich, who is 22 years old, was already attempting to save the couple’s 17 hens, three ducks, four quail, and three cats after they had been abandoned.
Audrey reached for a few treasured belongings, including the pocketbook and pocket knife that belonged to her grandpa. In the midst of her frantic efforts to pack a suitcase of clothing, she saw that water was rising through the flooring of their house, which was more than a century old and included two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
There were hundreds of individuals who were trapped in the disastrous floodwaters that tore across the state on the Fourth of July. The Riches are one of those people. More than 160 individuals have not been found as of yet as a result of the flash floods, while an additional 119 people have been verified to have passed away.
It is around one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards away from the river where Audrey and Nathan make their home. Despite the fact that it was not raining that morning, the river started to rise and quickly approached their home.
“It all happened so quickly,” recalls Nathan, who is the proprietor of a diesel repair company that is located behind his house. “The water was not flowing up through the walls or the doors; rather, it was coming up through the floor where it was standing. It looked like something straight out of a horror film.
Audrey and her mother were able to leave the house with the assistance of their friend, who had phoned and woken her up. The friend pulled on the door while Audrey and her mother struggled against the swiftly approaching water.
As Audrey puts it, “If he hadn’t been there, it’s possible that we wouldn’t have been able to escape.”
The pair, together with Audrey’s parents, were successful in making their way to dry ground. It was possible for Nathan to make a phone call to his mother in Lubbock before his wet phone died. His mother had already made reservations for a hotel room, purchased food and supplies, and driven for six hours to meet them. On Saturday, July 5, around nine o’clock in the morning local time, there were twenty-five persons present at their home to assist with the cleanup and the salvaging of their valuables.
Nathan continues by saying, “Every single one of them is holding a broom and a squeegee in their hands.” “The number of people who cared and wanted to assist was so overwhelming that it was overwhelming.”
During the process of cleaning up, they discovered their wedding book that was saturated in water as well as their coffee table that was located outside the home beneath the carport. Audrey was fortunate enough to have the flash drive in her computer bag when she was driving, which enables her to reproduce it.
Audrey shares with PEOPLE that the community has been so wonderful, and she goes on to say that it has made them not want to leave.
Both friends and strangers reached out to offer their assistance in reestablishing their house and company. The pair claims that they now feel even more a part of their community than they did before.
What are you going to do if you are about to leave a place that has been so helpful to you? Nathan has a question.
And as a result of the fact that so many individuals had assisted them, they wanted to return the favor. Immediately after receiving a request from the fire department for flashlights, Ziploc bags, and latex gloves, Audrey and Nathan hurried to the shop to complete their purchase of the necessary items.
“Everyone had helped us so much that we wanted to do something,” recalls Nathan. “Now we wanted to do something.”
Furthermore, a lady gave the pair a spot to stay at her Airbnb where they could remain for as long as they need.
What she’s saying is, ‘Stay for a day, stay for a month. In any amount of time you need,'” Nathan reveals. All over the place, that has been proposed. There is a location for us to stay in almost every town in the state of Texas.