ustxtxb_obs_2005_09_23_50_00009-00000_000.pdf

photo by Torn Kilty Joyce Coates was walking outside the Houston Astrodome when she spotted Mark Henderson, a 21-year-old cook from New Orleans. It was the first time that she had seen him since they were evacuated. “He’s a hero!” she cried, as she pointed to his bandaged right arm. “This is the arm that saved me. He saved my life, and my 13-month-old grandbaby and my 17-year-old son. This is the arm that saved me.” At breakneck speed and choking back sobs, Coates explained how she and her family were out in the street, waiting to be saved by an improvised rope and pulley system. “I don’t know where it came from, but all of a sudden the water started coming and it got higher and higher and higher. I’ve never been so scared in my life. He took his arm and smashed the glass so we could get inside some people’s house. I just want to thank him so much. I feel like I want to give him an award. ” SEPTEMBER 23, 2005 THE TEXAS OBSERVER 9