Magic SG Simmons details escape from Harvey
Orlando Magic shooting guard and Houston native Jonathon Simmons said he had to “ride a boat, walk through muddy water and ride on the back of a dumpster truck” to escape from the city’s flooding caused by the effects of Hurricane Harvey.
Speaking to the Magic’s official website, Simmons detailed how he prepared for and ultimately escaped from the storm that caused massive flooding in the Houston area and beyond.
Simmons said that he left his high-rise condo in the area to go to a friend’s house in Richmond, Texas, on Saturday and packed enough items to survive three days there, but more friends who were flooded out of where they had holed up joined Simmons’ group.
“So that gave us another 11 extra people and most of them were kids,” Simmons explained. “We had to let the kids eat first, so most of the last two days it was kind of rough [without food].
“There was at least 20 people in the house and probably eight of them were kids,” Simmons said. “When I was little, my mom always kept the fridge full of stuff [during hurricanes]. This time, I ate a pack of ramen noodles and that’s all for like a day and a half.”
Though their lodging in Richmond was never flooded due to the house being on a hill, other homes in the neighborhood were, and Simmons and his friends had to wade through flood waters to get out of the area. Simmons said he hasn’t been back to his condo and doesn’t have his car with him.
After two years with the San Antonio Spurs, Simmons signed as a free agent with the Magic this offseason. He said he’s heard from Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, Magic coach Frank Vogel and various teammates.
“It’s devastating,” Simmons said of the storm. “Luckily, none of my family was seriously affected, but I see a lot of my friends suffering and that’s difficult. But I’m also proud of how the city of Houston has come together to help one another. On the upside and the brighter side, there’s that seeing how people have been there to help one another.”
