>> The Redevelopment Assistance
Center in Corpus Christie

was born out of the need that came out of

the hurricane that struck Corpus Christie

on August 3rd, 1970.

Some architects from
the American Institute

of Architects chapter Corpus Christie came

to Austin to seek counsel and advice

on how the architects in Corpus Christie

might get involved in offering the kinds

of services that are needed after a

disastrous hurricane like Celia.

Celia's damage came to
over a half billion dollars

and left about 15,000 people homeless.

A majority of the 15,000
people, of course,

were poor people who had no

source to go to get assistance

in getting their homes rebuilt.

It was at this meeting in Austin

that the School of
Architecture became involved.

I volunteered the assistance
of students and faculty

to do whatever we can as architects

to help in setting up a center

that would provide these services.

My first observation in
driving into Corpus Christie

after the hurricane was to see that the

wealthy and the affluent
had immediate assistance

because they had contacts
with the building industry,

with architects, that they were
able to get immediate help.

It was a considerably

opposite situation when you
went into the neighborhoods

of the poor people because they
did not have these resources

and therefore even after
a week after the hurricane

their houses were in the
same shape that they were

immediately after the hurricane.

Another striking observation is to see the

corps of engineers operating and clearing

the debris after the storm.

This agency was named to do this chore

of clearing the streets and demolishing

houses that were totally damaged,

and to see their heavy machinery tearing

down what was left of residences

might suggest that if
only we could reconstruct

as fast as one can destruct

and part of the objectives of the

Redevelopment Assistance
Center and its activity

is, of course, to expedite
the reconstruction process.

The first call for volunteers went out

soon after the meeting with
the Corpus Christi architects.

And about twelve students volunteered

to move to Corpus Christi
for the fall semester.

And they were the first
staff to man the newly formed

Redevelopment Assistance
Center in Corpus Christi.

>>The Redevelopment
Assistance Center is a group

of twelve architectural students from

The University of Texas that came down

after the Hurricane Celia to
process estimates of damage

done by the storm so
people could get SBA loans.

This was our primary objective

and to a great extent we've met it.

We've processed around 2,500 estimates.

These people are
processing them presently.

The houses that were destroyed,
these people need plans.

We're helping people with plans, too.

We're primarily here
to provide professional

service for those people unable

to afford them through regular sources.

Hello, I'm from the
Redevelopment Assistance Center.

>> Hello, would you like
to see the outside first?

>>Yes that'd be best.

>> Okay.

>> Were you in the house during the storm?

>> Yes, we were.

>> What did you do during?

>> Well we just, we were in the living room

and then we went to the dining room

and then finally to my
little boy's bedroom.

>>How many people were in the house?

>>Well, we were my sister and her husband,

three children, and me and
my brother and five children.

(laughing)

>>You all got in that back room together?

>>Yeah, we stay in there
until everything was past.

>>And you came out of the
house and looked at the

at how far off it was, what did you think?

Did you think there was
any way of repairing it?

>>No, we knew right away there was nothing

we could do about.

>>The house is definitely a total loss.

Do you feel your husband
can do all the work

on the house, do you
think he'll need help?

>>Well he's going to hire
somebody to help him.

>>Well, one of the problems
for this, one of the reasons

for this being a total loss like this,

it came completely off
its pier foundation.

The house was moved onto
the site and just attached

to these concrete pilings.

I would definitely recommend
pouring a concrete slab for it.

Do you feel if I did the
complete set of drawings

showing him how to, you
know, build up the form work

for a floating slab do you
think he could do that work?

>>Yes, I think he can.

>>We can subcontract out the concrete,

the ready mix work, but
we'd definitely need

some kind of, he'd have to
do the form material himself.

>>Yes, I think he can do it.

>>Okay.

>>People generally feel

the house they had before
was quite adequate,

they don't realize the
shotgun form of house

where you have no
hallways, you walk through

a succession of bedrooms to
get to the bathroom or kitchen,

they see nothing wrong with this.

It takes some talking to convince them

the better plan is
available at the same price.

>> Mrs. Cantu is a special case, she

already had her HUD
trailer before she asked us

to come out and make an
estimate of her house.

Her house was blown
completely off the foundation,

was an obvious total loss.

The vista volunteers
at the Greenwood center

had helped her fill out her forms

and told her that we would be able

to assist her in making
an estimate of the damage.

We did make an estimate of the damage

and are now in the process
of making plans for her.

Right now we're waiting for
her SBA loan to come through.

We asked for $13 a square
foot for 800 square feet.

A problem we have now is an identity

of what exact group we're affiliated with.

There's some confusion with
the people we work with

that we're an extension of the

Small Business Administration,

because one of our primary projects

at this moment is making
estimates for the SBA.

Another problem is people
identify us too closely

with the local chapter of architects.

Architects are not the only
professional input we need.

We're asking for professional input

from lawyers, contractors, builders,

and any of the other design
and industrial professions.

>>After completion of this
disaster relief program

we hope to get more into
neighborhood planning,

trying to better the
environment of the people

in the depressed areas of this city.

We hope to be their
advocate in zoning changes,

in trying to get streets cut off,

and trying to improve streets,

in trying to get them sidewalks,

in trying to better the
neighborhood environment

maybe through better
planning of the green spaces,

maybe through opening up the
spaces between the houses,

maybe through just planning projects,

maybe better garbage disposal systems.

There's so many things that I feel

we can help the people in.

>>There's no doubt that the experience

from the Redevelopment Assistance Center

in Corpus Christi has been a very

useful and contributive
experience and service

for the people of Corpus Christi

and also to the students
of our school, who have

found it to be quite relevant
to architectural education.

And it's also been suggested
that the experience

should lead us to formulating
some kind of structure,

a ready to spring into action structure

for the profession to

serve in such disasters in the future.

And I think the school of architecture

will continue to participate in this

because it happens to be an excellent kind

of a live laboratory for
the kinds of experiences

that we want our students to have.