I saw a meme floating around that said that Houstonians don’t know what day it is, and I couldn’t agree more. Between 3 days of continuous rain and being stuck inside due to roads being flooded you could tell me that it’s Thursday and I’d probably believe you. This is the new normal. We’re well into recovery mode in the greater Houston area and still rescuing people from smaller surrounding cities. We still have roads closed because the area has multiple feet of standing water. In fact, the underpass by office still has at least 3 feet of water on it.
Shelters are full of people who have been displaced from their homes, and there are just as many volunteers and first responders there offering a helping hand. Donations are pouring in by the truck load, both from Houstonians and corporations. It’s times like these that reinforce how proud I am to be a Texan. We set aside all differences during times like this and help our fellow man. We’ve given even though we’ve lost. People are digging deep and sending clothes, food, and toiletries and don’t get me started on stores like HEB. They were up and running in over 50 stores shortly after the rain stopped. They had mobile kitchens all over the kitchen feeding 2,000 first responders and rescued people every hour. In fact, I came across an interview today that showed just #TexasStrong they are. HEB isn’t the only one, businesses like Gallery Furniture and Hilton Furniture have opened their doors as shelters and resting areas for first responders. Mattress Mac and Mr. Hilton are Houston staples and have given back to this community ten-fold!
I saw another post floating around on Facebook of someone posing the question as to why people are rushing to bars and restaurants so soon after the storm and even though I answered it on their post I wanted to share my answer here. Those establishments are comforting and patronizing them is a way of giving back and gaining a small sense of normalcy. Some people have been stuck in their homes since last Friday evening so I didn’t find it shocking at all if they wanted a beer once they got out of the house. Plus, these bills don’t stop just because this storm hit. I don’t know about y’all but I still had to pay rent on the first and the rest of my bills are due later this month. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that I can call Reliant and AT&T and ask them for an extension, but at the end of the day I’ll have to pay these bills. The same goes with the employees at local establishments. Those owners and employees have bills that they need to pay not everyone is lucky enough to get paid even if their business is closed. At the end of the day, it’s just another way of giving back and we have to remember that everyone gives back differently. Some give back by volunteering for shifts at shelters, some donate money, some donate clothes and goods, other give back to the economy by going out to eat and tipping extremely well.
I want to say that it’s times like this that remind me how proud I am to be a Texan. We might be down, but we have an unbreakable spirit. Thank you again to the first responders who are still going above and beyond, the grocery store employees, the building engineers, the security guards, the custodial workers, the property managers, and anyone else who often goes unthanked. My work campus suffered quite a bit of water damage and we’ve had security officers, building engineers, electricians and custodial workers there 24/7 since the Friday before the storm hit. They worked tirelessly, building dams, working on generators, cleaning up and keeping the campus and surrounding area as safe as they could. Many of them have been away from their homes and families for days at a time, and their work doesn’t go unnoticed.
The next step is cleaning up and rebuilding. I’m already seeing sidewalks full of damaged furniture and sheetrock. Bleach and fans are purchased by the masses and people are salvaging what they can and airing out their homes before the insurance and FEMA reps come and assess the damage. There are going to be plenty of jobs available in the upcoming months, especially construction ones so if you have experience in that field then get ready to work. This won’t be a quick process, but we will rebuild this city and make it even better.
[…] know I’ve said this before, but I truly love the way we banded together as Houstonians after Hurricane Harvey. People have been giving even when they’ve lost, they’ve been constantly volunteering […]