Hurricane Harvey's Aftermath

Hurricane Harvey devastated the lives of so many people across Texas last week.  We were fortunate to have a dry house and power throughout four days of incessant rain.  I had no idea that tornados frequently spawn from hurricanes; we had over 20 tornado warnings blaring from our phones at all hours of the night telling us to "take shelter".

Most public schools are closed until next week, but Kingwood Highschool was so damaged it will not open this school year and all the students will attend a nearby school while the repairs are made. My downtown office building re-opens tomorrow, but I'm struggling with regaining some semblance of normalcy when so many people are still affected. I feel guilty. There are entire neighborhoods that are still underwater, and will be for weeks, as the water from the reservoirs must be released to maintain the integrity of the dams. I mean what??? How can we go back to work when there are people a couple miles away without any home to live in? Can you imagine evacuating, thinking that there's no way two feet of water will come into your house that's never flooded and you find that six feet of nasty water came in? I read that only 20% of Houstonians effected have flood insurance. Story after story like this. I hear the chopping/thumping of helicopters flying overhead in the darkness even now, more than a week after Harvey made landfall.

Ross's aunt and uncle (Wade and Jane) in Dickinson got about 2 feet of water in their house and had to be rescued, his aunt and uncle (Cindy and Steve) in West Columbia are still evacuated as the flooding peak of the Brazos is uncertain, and Ross's mom discovered water in her house- the yard just couldn't drain the water fast enough along the side of her house.

Claire helped me bag up some of her old clothes for "people who got water in their house", but that is about the extent of understanding a three year old has. And that's probably a good thing. Ross volunteered his handyman services over the last few days while I watched the girls. Here's some pictures from his travels.

Wade & Jane's house in Dickinson.

Ross helped gut a house located inside 610, not far from our house. 

Huge debris piles up and down the street.

Laura's house

I've learned a lot about water damage in the last few days. I didn't understand the 48-hour rush to pull up wet flooring and get holes in the drywall for them to dry out before mold and mildew take over. I also didn't realize that clothes have to be thrown out and pretty much anything that comes into contact with the yucky water.

This is going to be a long road to recovery for Houston and other cities in Harvey's path.