But the furniture and home appliances were no match for the 4 feet of water that rushed through the home he inherited from his mother 15 years earlier.
"It tossed the heavy stuff like it was nothing," said Albright, 67.
Left with only enough possessions to fill his minivan, Albright said he spent the first three months after the flood living in a motel in Beaumont.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued him a 12-by-46-foot temporary housing unit last July. He put it next to his destroyed home.
This week, Albright learned he's either got to pay for the FEMA trailer or move.
He said he received a letter from FEMA stating that at the end of 60 days, he'll either have to start paying a monthly rent of $1,231 on the trailer or he can buy it for $22,000.
The government agency sent letters to Albright and the 51 other Newton and Orange county residents still living in trailers, FEMA spokesperson Robin Smith said.
The cut-off date on a decision to rent, buy or vacate is Sept. 19, Smith said.
The trailers were issued under an 18-month program that expires in September, and are priced based on fair market value, she said.
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