Hurricane Harvey victim describes 'apocalyptic' journey to safety
Clad in pajamas, bringing along nothing but each other and a stoic belief that Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath would be their crucible, Jeremiah Johnston and his family began their harrowing 10-hour journey out of Houston on Monday.
“Yesterday, there were a lot of fears on that 10-hour-drive,” Johnston, a professor at Houston Baptist University, told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on Varney & Co. “But we just kept coming back to, ‘this is our trial, we’re not alone and God is with us.’”
Hurricane Harvey, which landed in Texas on Saturday, has decimated the state and led to speculation that recovery efforts will take years.
Johnston, his wife Audrey and their five children fled from Fort Bend County – the second largest county in Houston – among the other 130,000 forced evacuees. Johnston attempted to leave by car via five different evacuation routes before eventually finding the correct highway to reach Dallas.
“I have five children,” he said. “It was apocalyptic yesterday.”
And because the Brazos River, which is expected to rise to 59 feet by Aug. 31, runs through Fort Bend County, the Johnstons are unsure when they’ll be able to return home.
“That’s why our family and thousands of others still need prayers,” he said. “We do not know.”