United through HOPE sustained damage in an early June flood. The executive director expressed frustration that the city of Denton didn’t do more to prevent it.
DENTON, Texas — Dr. Laurie Harrier is fed up and heartbroken.
The mental health nonprofit she runs, United Through HOPE, helps children and adults with social challenges — and its main building in Denton has flooded once again.
This time may be its last.
Harrier has put “for sale” signs out front because, while the water has receded, she’s still financially underwater.
“We probably need about $100,0000, and that’s just to get it back, that’s not to prevent the next flood,” she said in a recent interview from the gutted inside of the former house where, at its peak, she ran programming for around 300 children.
“It’s like a piece of me is just gone,” she said. “It breaks my heart.”
United Through Hope is “designed to provide social opportunities, social exposure, and real life experiences to increase social awareness, emotional regulation, respect for others, and teamwork skills,” according to its fundraising page. “UTH members have gone on to build many relationships, often making friends and feeling like they fit in for the first time.”
In addition to the building, the nonprofit said two of its passenger vans were totaled, and flood insurance will not cover the cost it needs to make repairs and continue operations.
The June 3 rain in Denton came fast and hard. A city spokesperson said it amounted to a “50-year storm” with rainfall rates of roughly 5 inches an hour.
The water overflowed from a nearby creek and rose feet inside Harrier’s nonprofit, she said. “Even if I could get down there, I would’ve been washed away,” she said.
She said she’s been trying to sustain programming with field trips, but can’t support nearly the number of families she once did.
“It’s not the full program it used to be,” said Mark Case, whose 22-year-old son Andrew participated in the programming for years.
“When they recognize that it feels awkward, then you talk about why it felt awkward. Everybody’s smarter going forward, and things get more natural,” he said, describing the programming.
Other parents told WFAA the programs were “life changing” for their children and that they’re heartbroken to see the changes potentially on the way. One said her son built a replica of the damaged location in the computer game “Minecraft” to remember it by.
Harrier expressed frustration with the city of Denton because she said the building has flooded twice before — and said backed-up storm drains contributed to the recent flooding incident.
A city spokesperson said the location is in a floodplain and the city “acknowledges the significant hardship the June 3 flooding event caused for businesses and those they serve.” He said city engineers do not believe any city construction projects nearby blocked storm drains or caused water to back up.
“While we understand the desire for immediate solutions, it’s important to note that this incident was a direct consequence of a historic amount of rainfall,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We deeply empathize with the distress and disruption this has caused and are committed to guiding affected businesses on potential avenues for assistance.”
Harrier said she is hoping to raise money to pay for both repairs and long-term flood fixes. Right now, she said she’s still trying to figure out how to pay creditors for the immediate flood mitigation.
She said flood insurance is not paying enough to cover the costs.
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