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Kent State Salem Insurance Studies Student Lives, Learns Through Hurricane Harvey

Alexis Bartee is a senior majoring in insurance studies at 5X社区 at Salem. She decided to pursue this degree after she began working at an insurance company in Akron in 2012. There, she helped people plan their insurance needs Posing with her daughter, Kent State student Alexis Bartee takes a photo in front of her grandparents' storm-damaged house. andguided them through the process.

In August, however, Bartee was in Texas caring for her elderly grandparents when Hurricane Harvey hit and, unfortunately, she now views the world of insurance from a whole different vantage point. As of mid-September, that vantage point is a shelter housing more than 300 people, of all ages, who were displaced because of the storms.

Despite her situation, however, she is continuing her studies and is currently enrolled in five classes. Her goal is to graduate by summer. 

Keeping up with her assignments and coursework has not been easy for Ms. Bartee because her textbooks and laptop were destroyed in the floods that resulted from the hurricane. Fortunately, an email message explaining her plight to one of her instructors made a big difference.

From a Visit to a Shelter

As she related, she traveled to the Houston area in July to help her grandparents 鈥 88 and 89 years old 鈥 unravel issues related to medical concerns. Ms. Bartee never expected to be in Texas two months later, much less living with hundreds of other people in a shelter.

鈥淢y visit was supposed to be a temporary thing,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hen the storm hit. We listened to the weather reports, but there were so many, and we really didn鈥檛 know what to expect and when to expect it. It wasn鈥檛 the hurricane winds that ruined their home. It was the rain and the flooding.鈥

She says that as the rains began, she and her grandparents did not panic initially. But, within a few hours of the rains, she noticed the street outside their house was beginning to flood.

鈥淚t was so strange! Being from Ohio, I just expected the water to drain and run off somewhere,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut, then I realized that there was nowhere for the water to go. After a few more hours, the water was deeper, and I convinced my grandparents that we should leave.鈥

Using her grandparents鈥 car, she drove them and her four-year-old daughter, Mckinley, away from the neighborhood. Someone had suggested they go to the location where they now 鈥渓ive,鈥 but she never expected to stay more than one night.

鈥淚 honestly thought that we would spend the night, get up the next day and drive back home,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen that didn鈥檛 happen, I thought that it would be just another day or two, but here we are, three weeks later, waiting to find out where my grandparents will be living.鈥

Because they left not knowing that they would be displaced for so long, Bartee and her grandparents did not gather many personal belongings 鈥 including her books and laptop.

Determined to Graduate

Determined to not let this storm push her off track to graduate, Ms. Bartee soon contacted Lynette Rawlings, associate lecturer and coordinator of the criminology and justice studies program for the Kent State Columbiana County campuses, since she was in one of her online courses.

The timing could not have been more perfect. At Kent State Salem, Ms. Rawlings shares an office with Tim McFadden, academic program director for business and the insurance studies program. Mr. McFadden also serves as Ms. Bartee鈥檚 academic advisor. The two were in the office together when Ms. Bartee鈥檚 email reached Ms. Rawlings.

After hearing her story, Ms. Rawlings and Mr. McFadden reached out to campus administration and the Enrollment Management and Student Services office and, in no time at all, arrangements were made to replace the damaged books.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 thank everyone enough for the help they gave me with this,鈥 Ms. Bartee says. 鈥淓veryone is being so helpful, and my instructors seem to understand my problem. I don鈥檛 know how much longer I鈥檒l be in this situation, but I鈥檓 determined to finish on time.鈥

Still without a laptop, she often borrows a laptop from another woman at the shelter for quizzes and homework, while using her phone to check Blackboard and emails. 

While her grandparents continue to wait for word on how they will be helped and where they will live, Ms. Bartee remains by their side. They did not have flood insurance, so they are in a sort of void when it comes to relief and options.

鈥淭hey are depending on me, and I just can鈥檛 fly back to Ohio and leave them here,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he situation could be a lot worse, but it鈥檚 not easy as it is. There is so much red tape and so many unknowns. But, I just can鈥檛 leave Texas and not know what is going to happen to them.鈥

Learning from Being Displaced

Ms. Bartee explained that the shelter is 鈥渙ne giant room鈥 with more than 300 people in it. They include babies, toddlers, teens, adults and senior citizens. There is no privacy, she explains, and tempers often flare.

鈥淓veryone really is trying to make the best of the situation, but when you get that many people in a room, for that long, tension does build up,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very emotional. I鈥檓 one of the lucky ones because I still have a home in Ohio and I didn鈥檛 lose everything. But, there is just so much loss here.鈥

As an insurance studies student, Ms. Bartee says she has learned a lot by living through this disaster, especially the emotional toll such events take on those affected. She knows this experience will help make her a better insurance employee.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to tell everybody to not take anything for granted!鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey have to get insurance for everything, no matter where they live 鈥 things like floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd it is so important to know exactly what you have covered. Take pictures or video of everything you own. Keep good records. 

鈥淟iving through this will definitely help me relate better to clients who go through losses and disasters,鈥 she adds.  鈥淚鈥檓 learning a lot through my insurance classes, but I鈥檝e learned a whole lot more by living through this situation.鈥

Participate in Kent State鈥檚 Hurricane Relief Supply Drive 

POSTED: Thursday, October 5, 2017 03:39 PM
Updated: Thursday, December 8, 2022 11:27 PM