Brennen Nguyen lost his family shop in Hurricane Harvey. Now, as he heads to the Hill Country, he says he understands the weight of what some there are feeling.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As fields of debris line the riverbanks in Central Texas and rescue crews continue working around the clock, some in the Coastal Bend are refusing to stand idly by.
“They’re gonna need help for months, if not years,” said Rockport resident and volunteer Brennen Nguyen.
Nguyen received a trailer as a donation from Ron Hoover and is now part of a convoy heading to Hunt, Texas. For him, this mission is more than just lending a hand — it’s personal.
“All me and my friends saw what was happening, it just brought back memories of Harvey,” he said.
Nguyen’s family shop was reduced to wood and nails when Hurricane Harvey tore through Rockport in 2017. The feeling of profound loss, he said, is something he shares with the families in the Hill Country.
“People helped us, they dropped everything to help us,” he said.
Remembering the outpouring of support his community once received, Nguyen said he’s now preparing for the rough road ahead.
“We want to bring things that are more toward the working side — for all the volunteers that show up,” Nguyen said. “They don’t need to buy chainsaws.”
Thanks to money donated by the community, Nguyen and his convoy are supplying hauling equipment, fuel and off-road capabilities.
“We want to have everything — that they just show up, get gloves handed to them, eye protection, and they can just get to work,” he said.
Adam Farley, general manager of Ron Hoover, said he’s proud to be part of the effort — and that Nguyen came to the right place to get the job done.
“That trailer can carry about 14,000 pounds on top of it. So, when it comes to heavy machinery to move debris, that’s the perfect trailer for it,” Farley said.
Nguyen knows the heaviness that comes with loss after a natural disaster — but he also understands that every situation is different.
“Harvey hit and we had a couple of weeks to figure it out. And they had nothing. They woke up to water in their houses. They lost their houses,” he said.