THE HURRICANE HARVEY STORIES:
 August 27, 2017, brought destruction, loss, tragedy, and turmoil to many in the Houston community.  Sharing the loss my brother experienced during the Hurricane, and the ongoing struggle to rebuild parts of his physical environment, illustrated further the importance of listening to our community.  Many of the staff, faculty, and students from HCC participated in the collaboration between the Central Campus Counseling Department and Curriculum Innovation Center.  Listening Stations - using iPad recorders developed by StoryCenter.org and set up on HCC Central Campus - allowed the collection of stories within the HCC community.  These shared, personal accountings will now be released to the larger HCC community, beginning January 27, 2018.  While there is the painful accounting of loss and helplessness within some of the interviews; you will also hear the strength, resilience, and determination in each story; and the compassionate assistance offered by so many within HCC is acknowledged clearly as well.  Let us not only remember the unexpected losses many incurred by nature, but feel inspired by the human courage to face those unexpected challenges, and still make progress toward our goals and aspirations.  There is a collective power within storytelling, and we hope you will collaborate with us as a listening participant.

Ruben Duran

This project was completely done using HCC's Digital Storytelling tools as part of HCC's Digital Storytelling initiative. Tools used include WeVideo, Listening Stations, microphones, and iMacs.