3P Offroad, a repair and maintenance shop for all-terrain and utility task vehicles in Tomball, was a hub for rescue efforts during Harvey in August 2017, deploying its five-ton army truck to rescue displaced residents, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported. The business' rescue efforts are featured in an upcoming documentary, "100 Boats," directed by Houston filmmaker Syed Hasan.
"I was kind of expecting for it to be a small, little thing, just a few people here and there, and then, when I arrived, ... I was completely blown away by how big the operation was at 3P. There was literally hundreds of people collecting supplies and donations," Hasan said.
Hasan said a friend told him about 3P's rescue efforts, so he traveled to Tomball to spend a few days with 3P's crews during Harvey. "100 Boats" is his official debut as a documentary filmmaker, he said.
"This was way bigger than I thought. They had over 400, 500 teams going out and rescuing people in different neighborhoods all across Houston," he said. "Just seeing that personally, that's really what made me decide to make this film because they were doing amazing work; these were just regular guys. ... I just felt like that needed to be captured."
3P Offroad Co-owner Josh Herzing said a social media post from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick drew attention to 3P's rescue efforts during Harvey.
"When Harvey was coming, we kind of readied the truck and kind of got ourselves ready, and we were in one of the neighborhoods over here, and ... [my brother, Travis, was taking residents] to the H-E-B on Spring Cypress [Road] and dropping them off on dry ground there. That's where Travis ran into Dan Patrick," Herzing said.
He said Patrick made a social media post saying that 3P was a staging area for rescue efforts.
"So we showed back up here at six o'clock the next morning, and there was, like, 50 people waiting to help. We just kind of got thrown into it," he said. "I don't know if we'll ever really forget about it. We're still reminded by it all the time. We still have people come in here and tell us, 'Thank you,' or say that they remember us seeing us on the news or in the newspaper."
"100 Boats" takes viewers through the storm, highlights 3P's efforts and revisits the Greater Houston area a year into its recovery process from Hurricane Harvey—specifically, recovery efforts in Rosharon, Texas, Hasan said.
"This film is something that's really needed, especially in this time period, where there's so much division in society. This film is a great reminder of how people work together and came together during this tragic time," Hasan said.
The 40-minute film will debut Jan. 9 at The Landmark River Oaks Theater. The premiere is open to the public. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the film beginning at 7:30 p.m. A short presentation honoring organizations—including 3P Offroad—involved in Hurricane Harvey rescue and the restoration efforts will follow, Hasan said. Tickets are available for $10 each at www.100boatsfilm.com.
The film will be available to rent or buy on iTunes after the premiere, Hasan said. He said he plans to submit the documentary to film festivals as well.
"It's just cool to see our area over here on film and all the Tomball [and] Cypress people working together," Herzing said.
