<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--[if (gt IE 9)|!(IE)]> <!--> <html lang="en" class="no-js section-us format-long tone-news app-article page-theme-standard has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" itemid="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" itemtype="http://schema.org/NewsArticle"  itemscope xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <!--<![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 9]> <html lang="en" class="no-js ie9 lt-ie10 section-us format-long tone-news app-article page-theme-standard has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 8]> <html lang="en" class="no-js ie8 lt-ie10 lt-ie9 section-us format-long tone-news app-article page-theme-standard has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <![endif]-->
<!--[if (lt IE 8)]> <html lang="en" class="no-js lt-ie10 lt-ie9 lt-ie8 section-us format-long tone-news app-article page-theme-standard has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <![endif]-->
<head>
    <title>His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First - The New York Times</title>
        <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1" />
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://static01.nyt.com/favicon.ico" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144×144" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/ios-ipad-144x144.png" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114×114" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/ios-iphone-114x144.png" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/ios-default-homescreen-57x57.png" />
<meta name="sourceApp" content="nyt-v5" />
<meta id="applicationName" name="applicationName" content="article" />
<meta id="foundation-build-id" name="foundation-build-id" content="" />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<link rel="alternate" media="only screen and (max-width: 640px)" href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<link rel="alternate" media="handheld" href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<link rel="amphtml" href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.amp.html" />
<meta property="al:android:url" content="nytimes://reader/id/100000005413352" />
<meta property="al:android:package" content="com.nytimes.android" />
<meta property="al:android:app_name" content="NYTimes" />
<meta name="twitter:app:name:googleplay" content="NYTimes" />
<meta name="twitter:app:id:googleplay" content="com.nytimes.android" />
<meta name="twitter:app:url:googleplay" content="nytimes://reader/id/100000005413352" />
<link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.nytimes.android/nytimes/reader/id/100000005413352" />
<meta property="al:iphone:url" content="nytimes://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<meta property="al:iphone:app_store_id" content="284862083" />
<meta property="al:iphone:app_name" content="NYTimes" />
<meta property="al:ipad:url" content="nytimes://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<meta property="al:ipad:app_store_id" content="357066198" />
<meta property="al:ipad:app_name" content="NYTimes" />
<meta name="robots" content="noarchive" />
<meta itemprop="alternativeHeadline" name="hdl_p" content="His Home Flooded, Mayor Puts His City First" />
<meta name="channels" content="" />
<meta itemprop="description" name="description" content="The Texas mayor had four feet of water in his house after Harvey. Now, as his neighbors clean up their homes, he is trying to get the city back on its feet." />
<meta name="genre" itemprop="genre" content="News" />
<meta itemprop="identifier" name="articleid" content="100000005413352" />
<meta itemprop="usageTerms" name="usageTerms" content="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/sale/terms-of-sale.html" />
<meta itemprop="inLanguage" content="en-US" />
<meta name="hdl" content="His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First" />
<meta name="col" content="" id="column-name" />
<meta name="pdate" content="20170917" />
<meta name="utime" content="20170919130942" />
<meta name="ptime" content="20170917125631" />
<meta name="DISPLAYDATE" content="Sept. 17, 2017" />
<meta name="dat" content="Sept. 17, 2017" />
<meta name="lp" content="The Texas mayor had four feet of water in his house after Harvey. Now, as his neighbors clean up their homes, he is trying to get the city back on its feet." />
<meta name="msapplication-starturl" content="http://www.nytimes.com" />
<meta name="cre" content="The New York Times" />
<meta name="slug" content="18portarthur" />
<meta property="article:collection" content="https://static01.nyt.com/services/json/sectionfronts/us/index.jsonp" />
<meta name="sectionfront_jsonp" content="https://static01.nyt.com/services/json/sectionfronts/us/index.jsonp" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:title" content="His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First" />
<meta property="og:description" content="The Texas mayor had four feet of water in his house after Harvey. Now, as his neighbors clean up their homes, he is trying to get the city back on its feet." />
<meta property="article:published" itemprop="datePublished" content="2017-09-17T12:56:31-04:00" />
<meta property="article:modified" itemprop="dateModified" content="2017-09-19T13:09:42-04:00" />
<meta property="article:section" itemprop="articleSection" content="U.S." />
<meta property="article:section-taxonomy-id" itemprop="articleSection" content="23FD6C8B-62D5-4CEA-A331-6C2A9A1223BE" />
<meta property="article:section_url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/section/us" />
<meta property="article:top-level-section" content="us" />
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="9869919170" />
<meta name="twitter:site" value="@nytimes" />
<meta property="twitter:url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" />
<meta property="twitter:title" content="His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First" />
<meta property="twitter:description" content="The Texas mayor had four feet of water in his house after Harvey. Now, as his neighbors clean up their homes, he is trying to get the city back on its feet." />
<meta name="author" content="Rick Rojas" />
<meta name="tone" content="news" id="article-tone" />
<meta name="byl" content="By RICK ROJAS" />
<meta name="PT" content="article" />
<meta name="CG" content="us" />
<meta name="SCG" content="" />
<meta name="PST" content="News" />
<meta name="tom" content="News" />
<meta name="edt" content="NewYork" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-facebookJumbo.jpg" />
<meta property="twitter:image:alt" content="Mayor Derrick Ford Freeman greeted a resident in Port Arthur, Tex. The part-time job of mayor has become full-time since Hurricane Harvey." />
<meta property="twitter:image" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:card" value="summary_large_image" />
<meta property="article:author" content="https://www.nytimes.com/by/rick-rojas" />
<meta name="twitter:creator" value="RaR" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Floods" />
<meta name="des" content="Floods" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Hurricane Harvey (2017)" />
<meta name="des" content="Hurricane Harvey (2017)" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Port Arthur (Tex)" />
<meta name="geo" content="Port Arthur (Tex)" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Freeman, Derrick Ford" />
<meta name="per" content="Freeman, Derrick Ford" />
<meta name="keywords" content="Floods,Hurricane Harvey (2017),Port Arthur (Tex),Freeman  Derrick Ford" />
<meta name="news_keywords" content="Flood,Hurricane Harvey,Port Arthur,Derrick Ford Freeman" />
<meta name="thumbnail_150" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-thumbLarge.jpg" />
<meta name="thumbnail_150_height" content="150" />
<meta name="thumbnail_150_width" content="150" />
<meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" name="thumbnail" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-thumbStandard.jpg" />
<meta name="thumbnail_height" content="75" />
<meta name="thumbnail_width" content="75" />
<meta name="video:playerId" content="" />
<meta name="video:noShareToolsPlayerId" content="" />
<meta name="video:publisherId" content="" />
<meta name="video:publisherReadToken" content="" />
<meta name="dfp-ad-unit-path" content="us" />
<meta name="dfp-amazon-enabled" content="false" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://www.nytimes.com/svc/oembed/json/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F09%2F17%2Fus%2Fharvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" title="His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="5281959998" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1002391179791389" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="105307012882667" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="123334484346296" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="142271415829971" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1453472561556218" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="153491058028703" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1545690368981813" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1606969219532748" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="173455642668373" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="176999952314969" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="181548405298864" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="340711315527" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="5518834980" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="689907071131476" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="751965821517958" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="8254939527" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="98934992430" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="993603507345855" />
    
            <link id="legacy-zam5nzz" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://typeface.nyt.com/css/zam5nzz.css" media="all" />
    <!--[if (gt IE 9)|!(IE)]> <!-->
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/css/article/story/styles.css" />
    <!--<![endif]-->
    <!--[if lte IE 9]>
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/css/article/story/styles-ie.css" />
    <![endif]-->
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" href="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/css/article/story/styles-print.css" />
                <!--  begin abra  -->
<script>
var NYTD=NYTD||{};NYTD.Abra=function(t){"use strict";function n(t){var n=i[t];return n&&n[1]||null}function e(t,n){if(t){var e,o,r=n[0],i=n[1],u=0,c=0;if(1!==i.length||4294967296!==i[0])for(e=a(t+" "+r)>>>0,u=0,c=0;o=i[u++];)if(e<(c+=o[0]))return o}}function o(n,e,o,a){s+="subject="+n+"&test="+encodeURIComponent(e)+"&variant="+encodeURIComponent(o||0)+"&url="+encodeURIComponent(t.location.href)+"&instant=1&skipAugment=true\n",a&&f.push(a),c||(c=t.setTimeout(r,0))}function r(){var n=new t.XMLHttpRequest,e=f;n.withCredentials=!0,n.open("POST",u),n.onreadystatechange=function(){var t,o;if(4==n.readyState)for(t=200==n.status?null:new Error(n.statusText);o=e.shift();)o(t)},n.send(s),s="",f=[],c=null}function a(t){for(var n,e,o,r,a,i,u,c=0,s=0,f=[],l=[n=1732584193,e=4023233417,~n,~e,3285377520],h=[],p=t.length;s<=p;)h[s>>2]|=(s<p?t.charCodeAt(s):128)<<8*(3-s++%4);for(h[u=p+8>>2|15]=p<<3;c<=u;c+=16){for(n=l,s=0;s<80;n=[0|[(i=((t=n[0])<<5|t>>>27)+n[4]+(f[s]=s<16?~~h[c+s]:i<<1|i>>>31)+1518500249)+((e=n[1])&(o=n[2])|~e&(r=n[3])),a=i+(e^o^r)+341275144,i+(e&o|e&r|o&r)+882459459,a+1535694389][0|s++/20],t,e<<30|e>>>2,o,r])i=f[s-3]^f[s-8]^f[s-14]^f[s-16];for(s=5;s;)l[--s]=l[s]+n[s]|0}return l[0]}var i,u,c,s="",f=[];return n.init=function(n,r){var a,c,s,f,l,h=[],p=(t.document.cookie.match(/(^|;) *nyt-a=([^;]*)/)||[])[2],d=(t.document.cookie.match(/(^|;) *ab7=([^;]*)/)||[])[2],m=new RegExp("[?&]abra(=([^&#]*))"),g=m.exec(t.location.search);if(g&&g[2]&&(d=d?g[2]+"&"+d:g[2]),i)throw new Error("can't init twice");if(u=r,i={},d)for(d=decodeURIComponent(d).split("&"),a=0;a<d.length;a++)l=d[a].split("="),l[0]in i||(i[l[0]]=[,l[1],1],o("ab-alloc",l[0],l[1]),l[1]&&h.push(l[0]+"="+l[1]));for(a=0;a<n.length;a++)s=n[a],(c=s[0])in i||(f=e(p,s)||[],i[c]=f,f[1]&&h.push(c.replace(/[^\w-]/g)+"="+(""+f[1]).replace(/[^\w-]/g)),f[2]&&o("ab-alloc",c,f[1]));h.length&&t.document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-nyt-ab",h.join(" "))},n.reportExposure=function(n,e){var r=i[n];r&&r[2]?o("ab-expose",n,r[1],e):e&&t.setTimeout(function(){e(null)},0)},n}(this);
</script>
<script>NYTD.Abra.init([["www-story-reader-satisfaction",[[21474837,"Control",1],[21474836,"VariantA",1],[4252017623,null,0]]],["www-signup-favor-test",[[2147483648,"0",1],[2147483648,"1",1]]],["www-fixed-nav-subscribe-test",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-ad-diagnostic",[[21474837,"1",0],[4273492459,null,0]]],["www-fabrik-off",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-auto-newsletter",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-STORY_3bundlePayflow-v3",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-STRIK-nl-regi",[[1434519077,"control",1],[1430224110,"1",1],[1430224109,"2",1],[0,null,0]]],["www-indexAsHeaderBidder",[[4294967296,"2",1]]],["abra_dfp",[[3865470567,"control",1],[429496729,"test",1]]],["EC_SampleTest",[[2147483648,"variantA",0],[2147483648,"variantB",0]]]], '//et.nytimes.com/')</script>
<!--  end abra  -->

<script>
/* ABRA reporting for Vi rollout. Please don't hand-edit this minified snippet. <https://github.com/nytm/vi-rollout-abra-reporting-js> (67c2140 @ Mon Dec 11 17:51:59 EST 2017) */ function reportViRolloutToABRA(t,e,o){"use strict";var i,a,n,r,s="";if(e&&(/^mobile\./.test(window.location.hostname)?(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vi=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],a=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *nyt\.np\.vi=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],n=/^b1/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=vi":/^z1/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=0":/^a2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=hp-st":/^b2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=hp":/^c2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=st":/^z2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=0":/^1\|/.test(a)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=vi":/^2\|/.test(a)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=0":null):/^www\./.test(window.location.hostname)&&(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vi_www_hp=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],n=/^a2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp-st":/^b2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp":/^c2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=st":/^d2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp-2":/^y2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=0-2":/^z2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=0":null),n&&(s+="subject=ab-alloc&test="+n+"&url="+encodeURIComponent(window.location.href)+"&instant=1&skipAugment=true\n")),o&&(/^mobile\./.test(window.location.hostname)?(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vistorymobile=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],r=/^a/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=st":/^b/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=sth":/^c/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=mw":/^z/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=mwh":null):/^www\./.test(window.location.hostname)&&(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vistory=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],r=/^a/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=sd":/^b/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=sdh":/^c/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=nyt5":/^z/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=nyt5h":null),r&&(s+="subject=ab-alloc&test="+r+"&url="+encodeURIComponent(window.location.href)+"&instant=1&skipAugment=true\n")),s){var c=new XMLHttpRequest;c.withCredentials=!0,c.open("POST",t),c.send(s)}}
</script>
<script>
  reportViRolloutToABRA(
    '//et.nytimes.com/',
    false,
    true  );
</script>
                <script id="page-config-data" type="text/json">
{"pageconfig":{"ledeMediaSize":"large","keywords":["article-long","has-embedded-interactive"],"collections":{"sections":["us"],"spotlights":["racerelated"],"syndicated":["apple"]}}}</script>
<script id="display_overrides">
            []    </script>

			    <script type="text/javascript">
        (function() {
            var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
            var mediaDotNet = 'https://contextual.media.net/bidexchange.js?cid=8CU2553YN&amp;https=1';
            var indexBid = 'https://js-sec.indexww.com/ht/p/183760-203795517182556.js';
            var timeout = 300;

            function loadScript(tagSrc) {
                if (tagSrc.substr(0, 4) !== 'http') {
                    var isSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol;
                    tagSrc = (isSSL ? 'https:' : '') + tagSrc;
                }
                var scriptTag = document.createElement('script'),
                    placeTag = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
                scriptTag.type = 'text/javascript';
                scriptTag.async = true;
                scriptTag.src = tagSrc;
                s.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptTag, s);
            }

            function loadGPT() {
                if (!window.advBidxc.isAdServerLoaded) {
                    loadScript('//www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js');
                    window.advBidxc.isAdServerLoaded = true;
                }
            }

            window.advBidxc = window.advBidxc || {};
            window.advBidxc.renderAd = function () {};
            window.advBidxc.startTime = new Date().getTime();
            window.advBidxc.customerId = "8CU2553YN"; //Media.net Customer ID
            window.advBidxc.timeout = 300;
            window.advBidxc.loadGPT = setTimeout(loadGPT, window.advBidxc.timeout);

            // append index
            var a = document.createElement("script");
            a.type = "text/javascript";
            a.async = true;
            a.src = indexBid;
            s.parentNode.insertBefore(a, s);

            // append media.net
            var b = document.createElement("script");
            b.type = "text/javascript";
            b.async = true;
            b.src = mediaDotNet;
            s.parentNode.insertBefore(b, s);
        })();
    </script>

    <!-- Amazon Bidder version 2 Initialization Script -->
    <script type="text/javascript">
        //Load the ApsTag JavaScript Library
        !function(a9,a,p,s,t,A,g){if(a[a9])return;function q(c,r){a[a9]._Q.push([c,r])}a[a9]={init:function(){q("i",arguments)},fetchBids:function(){q("f",arguments)},setDisplayBids:function(){},targetingKeys:function(){return[]},_Q:[]};A=p.createElement(s);A.async=!0;A.src=t;g=p.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];g.parentNode.insertBefore(A,g)}("apstag",window,document,"script","//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js");

        apstag.init({
            pubID: '3030',
            adServer: 'googletag'
        });
    </script>


	<script type="text/json" id="trending-link-json">
	</script>

<!--esi
<script id="user-info-data" type="application/json">
<esi:include src="/svc/web-products/userinfo-v3.json" />
</script>
-->
<script id="magnum-feature-flags" type="application/json">["limitFabrikSave","moreFollowSuggestions","unfollowComments","scoopTool","videoVHSCover","videoVHSShareTools","videoVHSLive","videoVHSNewControls","videoVHSEmbeddedOnly","allTheEmphases","freeTrial","dedupeWhatsNext","trendingPageLinks","sprinklePaidPost","headerBidder","standardizeWhatsNextCollection","onlyLayoutA","simple","simpleExtendedByline","collectionsWhatsNext","mobileMediaViewer","podcastInLede","MovieTickets","MoreInSubsectionFix","seriesIssueMarginalia","serverSideCollectionUrls","multipleBylines","fabrikWebsocketsOnly","translationLinks","papihttps","verticalFullBleed","updateRestaurantReservations","mapDining","newsletterInlineModule","PersonalizationApiUpdate","apsTagEnabled","removeInternationalEdition","headlineBalancer","clientSideABRA","newsletterTitleTracking","surveyInterstitial","removeFBMessengerPromo","removeMarginaliaAbTest","paidpostSprinklingFix","abraOverrideVersion","headlineBalancerEverywhere","signupFavor","lazyloadOakImages","mapleFreeTrial","adQuerySupportForMultipleUserAddedKeywords","removeSectionDependentAdLogicForJanuary","oakUpdateAdStride","autoPlaceNewsletter","piiBlockDFP","adExclusiveIERibbonCheck","FlexAdDoubleHeightTracking","didScroll","supportedByAdFullBleed","anchorsHttps","oakBylineMargin","TopFlexAdSiteWide","BundlePayFlow","loadArticleOptimizely","oakStyleTouchups","oakBasicHeader","serveOakOnVI","opinionHeadline","indexAsHeaderBidder","newsletterRegiTest","bookReviewBuyButton","caslOpt","sectionBasedAmp","abraInCustomParams","jkiddScript","blueKai","showNewDealbookLogo","commentsUserDataUpdateDisabled","tMagazineFontTest"]</script>
<script>
var require = {
    baseUrl: 'https://g1.nyt.com/assets/',
    waitSeconds: 20,
    paths: {
        'foundation': 'article/20180213-151728/js/foundation',
        'shared': 'article/20180213-151728/js/shared',
        'article': 'article/20180213-151728/js/article',
        'application': 'article/20180213-151728/js/article/story',
        'videoFactory': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js2/build/video/2.0/videofactoryrequire',
        'videoPlaylist': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js2/build/video/players/extended/2.0/appRequire',
        'auth/mtr': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js/mtr',
        'auth/growl': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js/auth/growl/default',
        'vhs': 'https://static01.nyt.com/video/vhs/build/vhs-2.x.min',
        'vhs3': 'https://static01.nyt.com/video-static/vhs3/vhs.min'
    },
    map: {
        '*': {
            'story/main': 'article/story/main'
        }
    }
};
</script>
<!--[if (gte IE 9)|!(IE)]> <!-->
<script data-main="foundation/main" src="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/js/foundation/lib/framework.js"></script>
<!--<![endif]-->
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script>
    require.map['*']['foundation/main'] = 'foundation/legacy_main';
</script>
<script data-main="foundation/legacy_main" src="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/js/foundation/lib/framework.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
    <script>
    require(['foundation/main'], function () {
        require(['auth/mtr', 'auth/growl']);
    });
    </script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <style>
    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions {
        display: block !important;
        height: 50px;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .message-bed {
        background-color: #f8e9d2;
        border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .message-container {
        padding: 11px 18px 11px 30px;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .action-link {
        font-family: "nyt-franklin", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
        font-size: 10px;
        font-weight: bold;
        color: #a81817;
        text-transform: uppercase;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .alert-icon {
        background: url('https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/icon-alert-12x12-a81817.png') no-repeat;
        width: 12px;
        height: 12px;
        display: inline-block;
        margin-top: -2px;
        float: none;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .masthead,
    .lt-ie10 .navigation,
    .lt-ie10 .comments-panel {
        margin-top: 50px !important;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .ribbon {
        margin-top: 97px !important;
    }
</style>
<div id="suggestions" class="suggestions messenger nocontent robots-nocontent" style="display:none;">
    <div class="message-bed">
        <div class="message-container last-message-container">
            <div class="message">
                <span class="message-content">
                    <i class="icon alert-icon"></i><span class="message-title">NYTimes.com no longer supports Internet Explorer 9 or earlier. Please upgrade your browser.</span>
                    <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/content/help/site/ie9-support.html" class="action-link">LEARN MORE »</a>
                </span>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

    <div id="shell" class="shell">
    <header id="masthead" class="masthead masthead-theme-standard" role="banner">
    <div class="container">
        <div class="quick-navigation button-group">
            <button class="button sections-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Sections</span></button>
            <button class="button home-button" data-href="https://www.nytimes.com/" title="Go to the home page to see the latest top stories."><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
                <span class="button-text">Home</span>
            </button>
            <button class="button search-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Search</span></button>
            <a class="button skip-button skip-to-content visually-hidden focusable" href="#story-header">Skip to content</a>
                        <a class="button skip-button skip-to-navigation visually-hidden focusable" href="#site-index-navigation">Skip to navigation</a>
                                    <a class="button skip-button skip-to-mobile visually-hidden focusable" href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html">View mobile version</a>
                    </div><!-- close button-group -->
        <div class="branding">
            <h2 class="branding-heading">
                <a id="branding-heading-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/">
                    <span class="visually-hidden">The New York Times</span>
                </a>
            </h2>
            <script>window.magnum.writeLogo('small', 'https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/images/foundation/logos/', 'us', 'masthead-theme-standard', 'standard', 'branding-heading-link', 'article');</script>
        </div><!-- close branding -->
                <div class="story-meta">
            <h6 class="kicker"><span class="kicker-label"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/us">U.S.</a></span><span class="pipe">|</span>His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First</h6>
        </div><!-- close story-meta -->
        <div class="user-tools">
            <div id="Bar1" class="ad bar1-ad nocontent robots-nocontent"></div>
<div id="liftoff-nyt5-bar1" class="hidden"></div>
            <div id="sharetools-masthead" aria-label="tools" role="group" class="sharetools theme-classic  sharetools-masthead  "
data-shares="facebook,twitter,email,show-all,save"
data-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html"
data-title="His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First"
data-author="By RICK ROJAS"
data-media="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-jumbo.jpg"
data-description="The Texas mayor had four feet of water in his house after Harvey. Now, as his neighbors clean up their homes, he is trying to get the city back on its feet."
	data-publish-date="September 17, 2017"
>
<div class="ad sharetools-inline-article-ad hidden nocontent robots-nocontent">
</div>
</div><!-- close shareTools -->
            <button class="button search-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Search</span></button>
            <div class="user-tools-button-group button-group">
                <button class="button subscribe-button hidden" data-href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp3004.html?campaignId=4XUYF">Subscribe Now</button>
                <button class="button login-button login-modal-trigger hidden">Log In</button>
                                                <button class="button notifications-button hidden"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">0</span></button>
                <button class="button user-settings-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Settings</span></button>
            </div><!-- close user-tools-button-group -->
        </div><!-- close user-tools -->
    </div><!-- close container -->
    <div class="search-flyout-panel flyout-panel">
    <button class="button close-button" type="button"><i class="icon"></i><span class="visually-hidden">Close search</span></button>
    <nav class="search-form-control form-control layout-horizontal">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Search Navigation</h2>
    <form class="search-form" role="search">
        <div class="control">
            <div class="label-container visually-hidden">
                                <label for="search-input">Search NYTimes.com</label>
                            </div>
            <div class="field-container">
                                <input id="search-input" name="search-input" type="text" class="search-input text" autocomplete="off" placeholder="Search NYTimes.com" />
                
                <button type="button" class="button clear-button" tabindex="-1" aria-describedby="clear-search-input"><i class="icon"></i><span id="clear-search-input" class="visually-hidden">Clear this text input</span></button>
                <div class="auto-suggest" style="display: none;">
                    <ol></ol>
                </div>
                <button class="button submit-button" type="submit">Go</button>
            </div>
        </div><!-- close control -->
    </form>
</nav>


</div><!-- close flyout-panel -->
    <div id="notification-modals" class="notification-modals"></div>
<span class="story-short-url"><a href="https://nyti.ms/2y7mDYV">https://nyti.ms/2y7mDYV</a></span></header>
            <nav id="ribbon" class="ribbon ribbon-start nocontent robots-nocontent" aria-hidden="true">
    <div class="nocontent robots-nocontent">
        <ol class="ribbon-menu">
            <li class="collection ribbon-loader">
                <div class="loader loader-t-logo-32x32-ecedeb-ffffff"><span class="visually-hidden">Loading...</span></div>
            </li>
        </ol>
        <div class="ribbon-navigation-container">
            <nav class="ribbon-navigation next">
                <span class="visually-hidden">See next articles</span>
                <div class="arrow arrow-right">
                    <div class="arrow-conceal"></div>
                </div>
            </nav>
            <nav class="ribbon-navigation previous">
                <span class="visually-hidden">See previous articles</span>
                <div class="arrow arrow-left">
                    <div class="arrow-conceal"></div>
                </div>
            </nav>
        </div>
    </div><!-- close nocontent -->
</nav>

<script type="text/javascript">
(function () {
    var ribbon;
    if (window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('adAggro') !== -1 &&
        (window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== 'control' &&
        window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== null &&
        window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== 'null' &&
        window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== '')) {
        ribbon = document.querySelector('#ribbon');
        if (ribbon && ribbon.parentNode) {
            ribbon.parentNode.removeChild(ribbon);
        }
    }
})();
</script>
        <nav id="navigation" class="navigation">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Navigation</h2>
</nav><!-- close navigation -->

<nav id="mobile-navigation" class="mobile-navigation hidden">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Mobile Navigation</h2>
</nav><!-- close mobile-navigation -->

    <div id="navigation-edge" class="navigation-edge"></div>
    <div id="page" class="page">
        <div id="TopAd" class="ad top-ad nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
</div>

        <main id="main" class="main" role="main">
        <article id="story" class="story theme-main   ">

    <div id='TragedyAd' class='ad tragedy-ad nocontent robots-nocontent'></div>

                        
    <header id="story-header" class="story-header">
                                <div id="story-meta" class="story-meta ">
                            <div class="supported-by hidden nocontent robots-nocontent">
                    <span class="ad-label">Supported by</span>
                    <div id="supported-by-ad" class="supported-by-ad ad"></div>
                </div>
                                        <h3 id="kicker" class="kicker" role="kicker">
                                                                                            <span class="kicker-label"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/us">U.S.</a></span>
                                                                                                                                                                    </h3>
                        			<h1 itemprop="headline" id="headline" class="headline">His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First</h1>
	                                                <div id="story-meta-footer" class="story-meta-footer">
                                                                                                    

<p class="byline-dateline"><span class="byline" itemprop="author creator" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"  itemid="https://www.nytimes.com/by/rick-rojas">By <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/rick-rojas" title="More Articles by RICK ROJAS"><span class="byline-author" data-byline-name="RICK ROJAS" itemprop="name" data-twitter-handle="RaR">RICK ROJAS</span></a></span><time class="dateline" datetime="2017-09-19T13:09:42-04:00" itemprop="dateModified" content="2017-09-19T13:09:42-04:00">SEPT. 17, 2017</time>
</p>

                                    <div class="story-meta-footer-sharetools">
                        <div id="sharetools-story-meta-footer" aria-label="tools" role="group" class="sharetools theme-classic  sharetools-story-meta-footer  "
data-shares="facebook,twitter,email,show-all,save"
data-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html"
data-title="His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First"
data-author="By RICK ROJAS"
data-media="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-jumbo.jpg"
data-description="The Texas mayor had four feet of water in his house after Harvey. Now, as his neighbors clean up their homes, he is trying to get the city back on its feet."
	data-publish-date="September 17, 2017"
>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-1">Continue reading the main story</a>
<span class="sharetools-label visually-hidden">Share This Page</span>
<div class="ad sharetools-inline-article-ad hidden nocontent robots-nocontent">
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-1">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
</div><!-- close shareTools -->
                                                                                                </div>
                            </div><!-- close story-meta-footer -->
        </div><!-- close story-meta -->
    </header>

    <script type="text/javascript">
        if (
            window.magnum
            && window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('headlineBalancer') > 0
            && window.magnum.headlineBalancer
            && window.magnum.headlineBalancer.initialize
            && window.magnum.headlineBalancer.shouldRun()
        ) {
            window.magnum.headlineBalancer.initialize();
        }
    </script>

        
    <div class="story-body-supplemental">
    <div class="story-body story-body-1">
        <figure id="media-100000005414580" class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-master768.jpg" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" aria-label="media" role="group">
    <span class="visually-hidden">Photo</span>
    <div class="image">
            <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-master768.jpg" alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-superJumbo.jpg" data-mediaviewer-caption="Mayor Derrick Ford Freeman greeted a resident in Port Arthur, Tex. The part-time job of mayor has become full-time since Hurricane Harvey." data-mediaviewer-credit="Eric Thayer for The New York Times"  itemprop="url" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-01/00mayor-01-master768.jpg"/>
            <meta itemprop="height" content="512" />
            <meta itemprop="width" content="768" />
    </div>
        <figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
                <span class="caption-text">Mayor Derrick Ford Freeman greeted a resident in Port Arthur, Tex. The part-time job of mayor has become full-time since Hurricane Harvey.</span>
                        <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
            Eric Thayer for The New York Times        </span>
            </figcaption>
    </figure>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function () {
        var figure, fragment, storyHeader;
        var html, header, headline, storyMeta, mediaActionOverlay, supportedBy;
        var story = document.getElementById('story');
        var adAggro = window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('adAggro') !== -1 &&
            (window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-10' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-8' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-6' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-4');
        var adAggro2 = window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('story1427AdAggro') !== -1 &&
            (window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-10' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-8' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-6' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-4');

        if ((adAggro || adAggro2) &&
            document.documentElement.className.indexOf('article-has-layout-large-horizontal') === -1
        ) {
                // only run this test if it's large or jumbo horizontal lede media
                figure = document.querySelectorAll('.lede.photo')[0];
                if (figure.className.indexOf('layout-large-horizontal') === -1 && figure.className.indexOf('layout-jumbo-horizontal') === -1) {
                    require(['foundation/main'], function (main) {
                        require(['foundation/tracking/tracking-mixin'], function (tracking) {
                            tracking.trackingTriggerRaw(
                                'not-running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                                {
                                    'module': 'not-running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                                    'region': 'not-running-pro-topper-ad-test'
                                },
                                'interaction'
                            );
                        });
                    });

                    return;
                }
                document.documentElement.className += ' article-has-layout-large-horizontal';

                // delete supported by
                supportedBy = document.querySelectorAll('.supported-by')[0];
                if (supportedBy) {
                        supportedBy.parentNode.removeChild(supportedBy);
                }

                fragment = document.createDocumentFragment(); // this will be the top ad
                fragment.appendChild(document.getElementById('TopAd'));

                storyHeader = document.getElementById('story-header');
                if (storyHeader.nextSibling) {
                  storyHeader.parentNode.insertBefore(fragment, storyHeader.nextSibling);
                }
                else {
                  storyHeader.parentNode.appendChild(fragment);
                }

                document.getElementById('TopAd').style.display = 'block';
                document.getElementById('TopAd').style.marginBottom = '45px';
        } // end ad if


        if ((adAggro || adAggro2) &&
            document.documentElement.className.indexOf('article-has-layout-large-horizontal') !== -1
        ) {

                html = document.documentElement;
                header = document.getElementById('story-header');
                figure = document.querySelectorAll('.lede.photo')[0];
                headline = document.getElementById('headline');
                storyMeta = document.getElementById('story-meta');

                mediaActionOverlay = figure.getElementsByClassName("media-action-overlay")[0];

                html.className += ' has-cover-media';

                story.className += " has-headline-image-topper bleed-align-left";

                header.appendChild(figure);

            if (window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('story1427AdAggroTracking') !== -1) {
                require(['foundation/main'], function (main) {
                    require(['foundation/tracking/tracking-mixin'], function (tracking) {
                        tracking.trackingTriggerRaw(
                            'running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                            {
                                'module': 'running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                                'region': 'running-pro-topper-ad-test'
                            },
                            'interaction'
                        );
                    });
                });
            }

        }
})();
</script>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="309" data-total-count="309">PORT ARTHUR, Tex. — On a winding street of older brick homes in the center of town, only one house is without a mountain of debris on the front yard. The house, a two-story at the end of the cul-de-sac, had not been spared by the recent storm, which submerged three-quarters of this coastal industrial city.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="122" data-total-count="431">The homeowner, Derrick Ford Freeman, has just not had time to worry about his own affairs. He is the mayor of Port Arthur.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="476" data-total-count="907">Normally the job of mayor is part-time, requiring only one white button-down shirt bearing his name and the city logo. Lately, his mother has been washing that shirt every morning. Mr. Freeman has spent his days racing around the city, lobbying a visiting senator for federal aid one moment, sitting next to a woman sobbing onto his shoulder the next. He has focused on practical matters like restoring trash pickup, reopening schools and finding homes for displaced families.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="184" data-total-count="1091">The mayor knows what residents have endured from Hurricane Harvey because he has gone through it himself. But he has set aside his troubles to look after his city’s much larger ones.</p><div id="story-ad-1" class="story-ad ad ad-placeholder nocontent robots-nocontent ">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-1">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="265" data-total-count="1356" id="story-continues-1">Like many of the people he has comforted, Mr. Freeman is not sure where his family will live when they return to Port Arthur. He does not have flood insurance. In the week after the storm, he, too, was rushing home before sundown in case he had to fend off looters.</p><div class="newsletter-signup variant-1-hidden " id="newsletter-promo" data-newsletter-productCode="RR" data-newsletter-productTitle="Race Related" aria-labeledby="newsletter-promo-heading">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="newsletter-promo-heading">Newsletter Sign Up</h2>
    <a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#continues-post-newsletter">Continue reading the main story</a>
        <h3 class="headline">Sign Up for the Race/Related Newsletter</h3>    <p class="summary">Join a deep and provocative exploration of race with a diverse group of New York Times journalists.</p>    <form name="regilite" class="newsletter-form" method="post" autocomplete="off">
        <div class="control input-control">
            <div class="form-errors">
                <p class="error captcha-error hidden">Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box.</p>
                <p class="error invalid-email-error hidden">Invalid email address. Please re-enter.</p>
                <p class="error buffet-error hidden">You must select a newsletter to subscribe to.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="field-container">
                <input id="email" name="email" class="email-input" type="email" aria-required="true" placeholder="Enter your email address" value="">
                <button id="submit-button" type="submit" class="button submit-button">Sign Up</button>
            </div>
        </div><!-- close control -->
        <div class="control checkbox-control">
            <div class="field-container">
                <input id="special-offers" class="checkbox" type="checkbox" name="special-offers" value="MM">
            </div>
            <div class="label-container">
                <label class="checkbox-label" for="special-offers">You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.</label>
            </div>
        </div><!-- close control -->
        <div class="g-recaptcha" id="captcha-container" data-sitekey="6LeN0R4TAAAAACwPa5WX2QYE0npOf2-2veTOm2Tp"></div>
    </form>
    <div class="messages">
        <h3 class="success-message hidden">Thank you for subscribing.</h3>
        <h3 class="error submit-error hidden">An error has occurred. Please try again later.</h3>
        <h3 class="subscriber hidden">You are already subscribed to this email.</h3>
        <p class="view-all-link hidden"><a href="/newsletters" target="_blank">View all New York Times newsletters.</a></p>
    </div><!-- close messages -->
    <ul class="footer">
                <li id="sample-newsletter-link" class="sample"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/sample/race-related?pgtype=subscriptionspage&version=new&contentId=RR&eventName=sample&module=newsletter-sign-up" target="_blank">See Sample</a></li>
                <li class="manage-email"><a href="/mem/email.html" target="_blank">Manage Email Preferences</a></li>
        <li class="logout hidden"><a href="/logout" target="_blank">Not you?</a></li>
        <li class="privacy"><a href="/privacy" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a></li>
        <li class="contact">Opt out or <a href="/help/index.html" target="_blank">contact us</a> anytime</li>
    </ul><!-- close footer -->
    <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js" async="async" defer="defer"></script>
</div>
<div id="#continues-post-newsletter"></div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="210" data-total-count="1566">When the storm moved in on Aug. 30, the mayor was at home, hopping between calls, emails and text messages, when he noticed a shoe floating by. Shortly after, he <a href="https://www.facebook.com/derrickfordfreeman/videos/vb.100000174297248/1868911436457981/?type=2&amp;theater">posted </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/derrickfordfreeman/videos/vb.100000174297248/1868911436457981/?type=2&amp;theater">videos</a> of his house flooding on Facebook.</p>        <a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-2">Continue reading the main story</a>
    </div><!-- close story-body -->
    <div class="supplemental first" id="supplemental-1">
    </div><!-- close supplemental -->
</div><!-- close story-body-supplemental -->
<div class="story-interrupter" id="story-continues-2">
    <div id="FlexAd" class="ad flex-ad nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-3">Continue reading the main story</a>
    <div class="flex-ad-creative"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-body-supplemental">
    <div class="story-body story-body-2">
        <p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="73" data-total-count="1639" id="story-continues-3">“We weren’t ready for that,” he told his viewers. “No one was.”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="149" data-total-count="1788">Before long, the water had climbed high enough to reach his waist. His wife had already taken their children to Austin. But the mayor had stayed put.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="345" data-total-count="2133">In Port Arthur, like many places along the Texas coast, time can be measured in storms: the surges of water during Hurricane Ike (2008), or the “blue roofs,” the government-provided tarpaulins that covered damaged homes, after Hurricane Rita (2005). But there was already a sense that this time, it had been battered by something much worse.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="339" data-total-count="2472">Nearly a week after the flooding began, parts of the city remained inaccessible. The city’s newspaper, The Port Arthur News, had waist-high water in its office, and its editor, whose home and car were flooded, was commuting from a hotel room provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that was 60 miles away in Lake Charles, La.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="228" data-total-count="2700">In a church parking lot where a group from Louisiana was handing out meals, one man hugged the mayor with pained look on his face. “We’re not doing those somber hugs,” Mr. Freeman told him. “We’re coming back, baby!”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="381" data-total-count="3081">The storm struck a city of 55,000 that already had its share of struggles. Port Arthur, like much of the region, has an economy driven by the oil industry, and it has the largest refinery in the United States within its city limits. Even so, unemployment and poverty have been stubborn problems, and the city’s busiest streets are checkered with empty lots and rundown buildings.</p><figure id="media-100000005414587" class="media photo embedded layout-large-horizontal media-100000005414587 ratio-tall" data-media-action="modal" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-02/00mayor-02-master675.jpg" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" aria-label="media" role="group">
    <span class="visually-hidden">Photo</span>
    <div class="image">
            <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-02/00mayor-02-master675.jpg" alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-02/00mayor-02-superJumbo.jpg" data-mediaviewer-caption="Mr. Freeman, right, has been lobbying for federal aid and temporary housing for residents of Port Arthur, a town upended by Hurricane Harvey." data-mediaviewer-credit="Eric Thayer for The New York Times"  itemprop="url" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-02/00mayor-02-master675.jpg"/>
            <meta itemprop="height" content="450" />
            <meta itemprop="width" content="675" />
    </div>
        <figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
                <span class="caption-text">Mr. Freeman, right, has been lobbying for federal aid and temporary housing for residents of Port Arthur, a town upended by Hurricane Harvey.</span>
                        <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
            Eric Thayer for The New York Times        </span>
            </figcaption>
    </figure>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="336" data-total-count="3417">Port Arthur was once bustling, with a robust white middle class and the distinction, in 1973, of being an All-American City, a title awarded for civic innovation. But over time, the white population gravitated toward the cookie-cutter subdivisions that sprouted nearby, taking with them businesses that had been in downtown Port Arthur.</p><div id="story-ad-2" class="story-ad ad ad-placeholder nocontent robots-nocontent ">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-4">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="355" data-total-count="3772" id="story-continues-4">The void was filled, in large measure, by a wealth of diversity: The City Council is mostly black. A Vietnamese-American community flourished after the war. In one corner of the city, there was a Dominican barber shop, a Mexican meat market and a garden outside Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church with a statue of the Virgin Mary rising above nearby houses.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="281" data-total-count="4053">Before the storm, Mr. Freeman had ambitious aspirations: diversifying the economy and changing the minds of people who viewed the city as a place to avoid. As he confronts an enormous recovery, he hopes it will spark an infusion of opportunity rather than dashing hopes for change.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="233" data-total-count="4286">But the mayor’s concerns now are more immediate. More than 100 schoolteachers and another 100 city employees, he said, did not have homes ready for them to return to. If the city were to spring back, they would need places to stay.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="304" data-total-count="4590">As a resident, he understood how difficult it could be to move forward. After all, he had made almost no progress in repairing his waterlogged home. “I’m happy to have a lot of work,” he admitted at one point to the police officer assigned to ride around with him. “It keeps my mind off of it.”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="257" data-total-count="4847">After a visit to a school whose gym had been transformed into a Red Cross shelter, the mayor hopped back in his car, one hand holding the steering wheel, the other a hamburger. Another dignitary, this time a United States senator, had come from out of town.</p><figure id="media-100000005414584" class="media photo embedded layout-large-horizontal media-100000005414584 ratio-tall" data-media-action="modal" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/08/us/00mayor-03/00mayor-03-master675.jpg" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" aria-label="media" role="group">
    <span class="visually-hidden">Photo</span>
    <div class="image">
            <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/08/us/00mayor-03/00mayor-03-master675.jpg" alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/08/us/00mayor-03/00mayor-03-superJumbo.jpg" data-mediaviewer-caption="Mr. Freeman carried water to the First Sixth Street Baptist Church, where residents were waiting for supplies." data-mediaviewer-credit="Eric Thayer for The New York Times"  itemprop="url" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/08/us/00mayor-03/00mayor-03-master675.jpg"/>
            <meta itemprop="height" content="464" />
            <meta itemprop="width" content="675" />
    </div>
        <figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
                <span class="caption-text">Mr. Freeman carried water to the First Sixth Street Baptist Church, where residents were waiting for supplies.</span>
                        <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
            Eric Thayer for The New York Times        </span>
            </figcaption>
    </figure>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="95" data-total-count="4942">“All right,” Mr. Freeman said, laughing, “let’s see what my man Ted Cruz has to say.”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="358" data-total-count="5300">As he drove down streets that, days ago, he had traversed by boat, Mr. Freeman, 41, explained how deeply his roots ran in Port Arthur. He was raised here. The middle school he had just left used to be a high school, which he graduated from in 1994. He has family ties to the rapper Bun B, whose group UGK, short for Underground Kingz, started in Port Arthur.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="156" data-total-count="5456">He has known his wife, Shannon, <a href="http://www.shannonfreeman.net/Shannon_Freeman/Home_of_the_Author_Shannon_Freeman.html">a young adult author</a> and high school English teacher, since he was a child; they attended church and Sunday school together.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="355" data-total-count="5811">He had a winding path to politics. He performed in a Christian rap group called T.F.O., or The Forgiven Ones. He was a disc jockey for the local hip-hop and R&amp;B station, making $11 an hour during a prime evening shift. (His name on air: D-Free.) Then, he left for a decade, living around Los Angeles, hoping to make a career in the entertainment industry.</p><div id="story-ad-3" class="story-ad ad ad-placeholder nocontent robots-nocontent ">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-5">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="238" data-total-count="6049" id="story-continues-5">He returned when he and his wife were expecting their first child. He served on the City Council before he was elected mayor last year. His day job is in real estate, but through politics, he hoped he could make an impression on his city.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="78" data-total-count="6127">“To get a blessing, I always say, you’ve got to be a blessing,” he said.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="308" data-total-count="6435">There have been victories since the storm: the mayor announced schools would open earlier than planned. And there have been hurdles: Some residents expressed worries that the city had not done enough to prepare, and others complained about barges the mayor had hoped would house hundreds of displaced people.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="118" data-total-count="6553">After a week of dealing with the recovery, Mr. Freeman’s exhaustion was starting to show: He could not stop yawning.</p><figure id="media-100000005414589" class="media photo embedded layout-large-horizontal media-100000005414589 ratio-tall" data-media-action="modal" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-04/00mayor-04-master675.jpg" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" aria-label="media" role="group">
    <span class="visually-hidden">Photo</span>
    <div class="image">
            <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-04/00mayor-04-master675.jpg" alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-04/00mayor-04-superJumbo.jpg" data-mediaviewer-caption="Mr. Freeman outside his home, which was also flooded during the storm." data-mediaviewer-credit="Eric Thayer for The New York Times"  itemprop="url" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/18/us/18mayor-04/00mayor-04-master675.jpg"/>
            <meta itemprop="height" content="450" />
            <meta itemprop="width" content="675" />
    </div>
        <figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
                <span class="caption-text">Mr. Freeman outside his home, which was also flooded during the storm.</span>
                        <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
            Eric Thayer for The New York Times        </span>
            </figcaption>
    </figure>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="347" data-total-count="6900">The day had a packed schedule like the others before it: A briefing at Police Headquarters and meetings at City Hall. He drove to a mall to take a photograph with the retired baseball player Curt Schilling, who had traveled here to volunteer. Then he was off to the county airport to meet Elaine C. Duke, the acting secretary of Homeland Security.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="303" data-total-count="7203">He was mindful that Hurricane Irma, which struck Florida, might mean that the window of attention on Texas could be closing. He wanted to secure help before that happened. “We’ve got to do everything we can to regain or keep confidence in Port Arthur,” he said, “so they’ll rebuild with us.”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="300" data-total-count="7503">He followed Ms. Duke’s motorcade back to Thomas Jefferson, the school with the gymnasium filled with cots. Some residents slept on a warm afternoon, covers pulled up to their face. Restless boys chased one another. One asked an aide following Ms. Duke in a pinstriped suit if he were the president.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="213" data-total-count="7716">One woman gave the mayor a hug. It was his mother, Deborah, who has been among the regular volunteers. “They can say he’s young,” she said of her son, “but he’s got a lot of heart and a lot of wisdom.”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="68" data-total-count="7784">Another familiar person, a volunteer for his campaign, asked for $5.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="67" data-total-count="7851">The mayor pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and handed him one.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="232" data-total-count="8083">He climbed back into a sport utility vehicle, bound for another meeting at City Hall. He had a few stops left, but he would make it home before sunset. There, he would go upstairs and squeeze into his children’s bunk bed to sleep.</p><div id="story-ad-4" class="story-ad ad ad-placeholder nocontent robots-nocontent ">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-6">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="77" data-total-count="8160" id="story-continues-6">“Close the door,” he said, “and the smell doesn’t hit you too bad.”</p><footer class="story-footer story-content">
    <div class="story-meta">
                        <div class="story-info"><p>Follow Rick Rojas on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/rar">@rar</a></p></div>

        
        <p class="story-print-citation">A version of this article appears in print on September 18, 2017, on Page A13 of the <span itemprop="printEdition">New York edition</span> with the headline: His Home Flooded, Mayor Puts His City First. <span class="story-footer-links">  <span><a href="http://www.nytreprints.com/" target="_blank">Order Reprints</a><span class="pipe">|</span></span>  <span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html" target="_blank">Today's Paper</a><span class="pipe">|</span></span><span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp839RF.html?campaignId=48JQY" target="_blank">Subscribe</a></span>
</span>
</p>

    </div><!-- close story-meta -->
    </footer>
        <a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#whats-next">Continue reading the main story</a>
    </div><!-- close story-body -->
    <div class="supplemental " id="supplemental-2">
    </div><!-- close supplemental -->
</div><!-- close story-body-supplemental -->

    
    <div class="reader-satisfaction-survey prompt feedback-prompt story-content hidden">
<a class="feedback-link" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLW30xgZodF1qRAg80oWEGuDpW-1HHaL0g42G3SmvB2f4lCw/viewform?entry.8537735=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/harvey-port-arthur-mayor.html" target="_blank">
    <p class="feedback-message">We&#8217;re interested in your feedback on this page. <strong>Tell us what you think.</strong></p>
</a>
</div>

    <div id="storage-drawer" class="hidden">
        <div class="supplemental-sub-item" data-attribute-position="0" data-attribute-name="CombinedMarginalia" data-attribute-type="Related" data-attribute-subtype="">
    <aside class="marginalia related-combined-coverage-marginalia marginalia-item nocontent robots-nocontent" data-marginalia-type="sprinkled" role="complementary" module="Related-CombinedMarginalia">
    <div class="nocontent robots-nocontent">
                <header>
            <h2 class="module-heading">Related Coverage</h2>
        </header>
        <ul>
                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000005400001/harvey-houston-port-arthur-flooding.html">

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/31/us/31storm4_xp/31storm4_xp-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
        
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">In Port Arthur, Harvey Continues Path of Destruction</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>
    </a>
</article>
</li>
                                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/port-arthur-flooding.html">

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/31/us/31storm4_xp/31storm4_xp-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
        
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">Port Arthur Faces Harvey Flooding Disaster: ‘Our Whole City Is Underwater’</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>
    </a>
</article>
</li>
                                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/small-towns-harvey.html">

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/31/us/31towns4/31towns4-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
        
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">As Houston Looks to Recover, Small Towns Now Bear the Brunt</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>
    </a>
</article>
</li>
                                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/us/harvey-drive-home-beaumont-texas.html">

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/01/us/01beaumont-sub/01beaumont-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
        
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">My Unforgettable Drive Home to Beaumont, Texas</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 31, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>
    </a>
</article>
</li>
                                    </ul>
    </div>
</aside>
</div>
<div class="supplemental-sub-item" data-attribute-position="1" data-attribute-name="PaidPost" data-attribute-type="PaidPost" data-attribute-subtype="">
    <aside id='middle-right-paid-post-container' class='ad middle-right-ad paid-post-ad marginalia-item hidden nocontent robots-nocontent'>
    <h2 class='marginalia-heading'></h2>
    <ul class='story-menu'>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost1' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost2' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost3' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost4' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
    </ul>
</aside>
</div>
    </div>

</article>
<section id="related-combined-coverage" class="related-combined-coverage nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <header class="section-header">
        <h2 class="section-heading">Related Coverage</h2>
    </header>
    <div class="section-body">
        <ol class="story-menu menu">
                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000005400001/harvey-houston-port-arthur-flooding.html">
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">In Port Arthur, Harvey Continues Path of Destruction</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/31/us/31storm4_xp/31storm4_xp-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
            </a>
</article>
</li>
                                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/port-arthur-flooding.html">
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">Port Arthur Faces Harvey Flooding Disaster: ‘Our Whole City Is Underwater’</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/31/us/31storm4_xp/31storm4_xp-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
            </a>
</article>
</li>
                                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/small-towns-harvey.html">
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">As Houston Looks to Recover, Small Towns Now Bear the Brunt</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/31/us/31towns4/31towns4-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
            </a>
</article>
</li>
                                                                <li><article class="story theme-summary ">
    <a class="story-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/us/harvey-drive-home-beaumont-texas.html">
        <div class="story-body">
                        <h2 class="headline">
                <span class="title">My Unforgettable Drive Home to Beaumont, Texas</span>
                                    <time class="dateline">AUG. 31, 2017</time>
                                            </h2>
        </div>

                    <div class="thumb">
                <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/01/us/01beaumont-sub/01beaumont-thumbStandard.jpg" role="presentation" alt="" />
                <div class="media-action-overlay"></div>
            </div>
            </a>
</article>
</li>
                                    </ol>
            </div>
</section>

<!-- While running BundlePayFlow test, hide this module if user is in test) -->
<script type="text/javascript">
            if (window.NYTD && window.NYTD.Abra && window.NYTD.Abra('www-STORY_3bundlePayflow-v3') === '1') {
            (function() {
                require(['foundation/main'], function () {
                    require(['jquery/nyt', 'foundation/models/user-data'], function ($, userData) {
                        if (!userData.hasSynced) {
                            userData.on('change', function() {
                               checkSubStatus();
                            });
                        } else {
                            checkSubStatus();
                        }

                        function checkSubStatus() {
                            if (!userData.isHomeDeliverySubscriber() &&
                                !userData.isWebSubscriber() &&
                                !userData.isMobileSubscriber() &&
                                !userData.isTabletSubscriber()) {
                                    var relatedCoverage = document.querySelector('.related-combined-coverage');
                                    if (relatedCoverage && relatedCoverage.parentNode) {
                                        relatedCoverage.parentNode.removeChild(relatedCoverage);
                                    }
                            }
                        }
                    });
                });
            })();
        }
    </script>
<aside class="module trending-module hidden nocontent robots-nocontent" data-truncate-enabled="true"></aside><section id="whats-next" class="whats-next nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">What's Next</h2>
    <div class="nocontent robots-nocontent">
        <div class="loader-container">
            <div class="loader loader-t-logo-32x32-ecedeb-ffffff"><span class="visually-hidden">Loading...</span></div>
        </div>
    </div><!-- close nocontent -->
</section>
<div id="TopAd1" class="text-ad bottom-left-ad nocontent robots-nocontent"></div>
<div id="Top5" class="ad top5-ad hidden nocontent robots-nocontent"></div>
       <section class="module bundle-payflow-module">    <div class="bundle-payflow hidden"></div> <!-- end bundle-payflow -->
</section>


                    <div class="search-overlay"></div>
            </main><!-- close main -->
            <section id="site-index" class="site-index">
    <header class="section-header">
        <p class="user-action"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">Go to Home Page &raquo;</a></p>
        <h2 class="section-heading">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Site Index</span>
            <a id="site-index-branding-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/">
                <span class="visually-hidden">The New York Times</span>
            </a>
        </h2>
        <script>window.magnum.writeLogo('small', 'https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180213-151728/images/foundation/logos/', '', '', 'standard', 'site-index-branding-link', '');</script>
    </header>

    <nav id="site-index-navigation" class="site-index-navigation" role="navigation">
        <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Index Navigation</h2>
        <div class="split-6-layout layout">

                                                        
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">News</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/world">World</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/us">U.S.</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics">Politics</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/nyregion">N.Y.</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/business">Business</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/technology">Tech</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/science">Science</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/health">Health</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/sports">Sports</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/education">Education</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/obituaries">Obituaries</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html">Today's Paper</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/corrections">Corrections</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Opinion</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html">Today's Opinion</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists">Op-Ed Columnists</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/editorials">Editorials</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/contributors">Op-Ed Contributors</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/letters">Letters</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/sunday">Sunday Review</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion">Video: Opinion</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Arts</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts">Today's Arts</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/design">Art & Design</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/books">Books</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/dance">Dance</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/movies">Movies</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/music">Music</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/events/">N.Y.C. Events Guide</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/television">Television</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/theater">Theater</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/arts">Video: Arts</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Living</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/automobiles">Automobiles</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords">Crossword</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/dining/index.html">Food</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/education">Education</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion">Fashion & Style</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/health">Health</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/jobs">Jobs</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/magazine">Magazine</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/events/">N.Y.C. Events Guide</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/realestate">Real Estate</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/t-magazine">T Magazine</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/travel">Travel</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion/weddings">Weddings & Celebrations</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Listings & More</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/reader-center">Reader Center</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/ref/classifieds/">Classifieds</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/marketing/tools-and-services/">Tools & Services</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/events/">N.Y.C. Events Guide</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/multimedia">Multimedia</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/">Photography</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video">Video</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://store.nytimes.com/?action=click&contentCollection=NYT%20Store&contentPlacement=2&module=SectionsNav&pgtype=Homepage&region=TopBar&t=qry542&utm_campaign=NYT-HP&utm_content=hp_browsetree&utm_medium=HPB&utm_source=nytimes&version=BrowseTree">NYT Store</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/times-journeys/?utm_source=nytimes&utm_medium=HPLink&utm_content=hp_browsetree&utm_campaign=NYT-HP">Times Journeys</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/seeallnav">Subscribe</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/membercenter">Manage My Account</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="http://www.nytco.com">NYTCo</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                            
            <div class="column last-column">
                
<h3 class="menu-heading">Subscribe</h3>

<ul class="menu primary-menu">
    <li class="menu-label">Subscribe</li>
    <li class="home-delivery">
        <i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
                    <a class="nyt-home-delivery" href="https://www.nytimes.com/hdleftnav">Home Delivery</a>
            </li>
    <li class="digital-subscriptions">
        <i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
                    <a class="digital-subscription" href="https://www.nytimes.com/digitalleftnav">Digital Subscriptions</a>
            </li>
    <li class="nyt-crossword last-item">
        <i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
        <a id="nyt-crossword" href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/index.html">Crossword</a>
    </li>
</ul>

<ul class="menu secondary-menu">

    <li class="email-newsletters">
        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/marketing/newsletters">Email Newsletters</a>
    </li>
    <li>
        <a href="https://myaccount.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html">Alerts</a>
    </li>
    <li class="gift-subscription">
                    <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/giftleftnav">Gift Subscriptions</a>
            </li>
    <li>
                    <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/corporateleftnav">Group Subscriptions</a>
            </li>
    <li>
                    <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/educationleftnav">Education Rate</a>
            </li>

</ul>
<ul class="menu secondary-menu">
    <li>
        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/services/mobile/index.html">Mobile Applications</a>
    </li>
    <li>
                    <a href="http://eedition.nytimes.com/cgi-bin/signup.cgi?cc=37FYY">Replica Edition</a>
            </li>
    
</ul>
            </div><!-- close column -->

        </div><!-- close split-6-layout -->

    </nav><!-- close nav -->

</section><!-- close site-index -->

            <footer id="page-footer" class="page-footer" role="contentinfo">
    <nav>
        <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Information Navigation</h2>
         <ul>
             <li>
                <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/copyright/copyright-notice.html" itemprop="copyrightNotice">
                    &copy; <span itemprop="copyrightYear">2018</span><span itemprop="copyrightHolder provider sourceOrganization" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Organization" itemid="http://www.nytimes.com"><span itemprop="name"> The New York Times Company</span><meta itemprop="tickerSymbol" content="NYSE NYT"/></span>
                </a>
            </li>
            <li class="visually-hidden"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com">Home</a></li>
            <li class="visually-hidden"><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/">Search</a></li>
            <li class="visually-hidden">Accessibility concerns? Email us at <a href="mailto:accessibility@nytimes.com">accessibility@nytimes.com</a>. We would love to hear from you.</li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/infoservdirectory.html">Contact Us</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="http://www.nytco.com/careers">Work With Us</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="http://nytmediakit.com/">Advertise</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/privacy/policy/privacy-policy.html#pp">Your Ad Choices</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/privacy">Privacy</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/agree.html" itemprop="usageTerms">Terms of Service</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item last-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/sale/terms-of-sale.html">Terms of Sale</a></li>
         </ul>
    </nav>
    <nav class="last-nav">
        <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Information Navigation</h2>
        <ul>
            <li><a href="http://spiderbites.nytimes.com">Site Map</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/membercenter/sitehelp.html">Help</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://myaccount.nytimes.com/membercenter/feedback.html">Site Feedback</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item last-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp5558.html?campaignId=37WXW">Subscriptions</a></li>
        </ul>
    </nav>
</footer>
        </div><!-- close page -->
    </div><!-- close shell -->
        <script src="https://tags.bluekai.com/site/50550?ret=js&limit=1" type="text/javascript" async></script>
            <script src="https://cdn.optimizely.com/public/3013110282/s/article_prod.js" type="text/javascript" async></script>
    <script>
require(['foundation/main'], function () {
    require(['story/main']);


         

    require(['jquery/nyt', 'foundation/views/page-manager'], function ($, pageManager) {
        if (window.location.search.indexOf('disable_tagx') > 0) {
            return;
        }
        $(document).ready(function () {
            require(['https://a1.nyt.com/analytics/json-kidd.min.js'], function () {
                pageManager.trackingFireEventQueue();
            });
        });
    });
});
</script>
<!--esi                                                                                                                    
<esi:include src="/appconfig/https/show-modal.js" />                                                                       
-->

    <div id="Inv1" class="ad inv1-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="Inv2" class="ad inv2-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="Inv3" class="ad inv3-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ab1" class="ad ab1-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ab2" class="ad ab2-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ab3" class="ad ab3-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="prop1" class="ad prop1-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="prop2" class="ad prop2-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="Anchor" class="ad anchor-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ADX_CLIENTSIDE" class="ad adx-clientside-ad hidden"></div>
</body>
</html>
