davidbowerkingwood

Harvey

The Houston, Texas area has undergone a challenging experience known as Harvey, a category 4 hurricane that has caused massive flooding to many parts of the metropolitan area. The resultant flooding is causing unprecedented problems including the evacuation of many homes and businesses; fortunately the immediate Houston area was spared the worst of the hurricane force winds but wound up on the “dirty side” of the storm which produced the massive flooding. It appears Harvey will establish a new benchmark for flooding in the Houston area which may or may not stand.

Recovery will take a long time as the damage is so extensive; whether this is months or years I don’t know but it will leave an indelible mark on the history of this city. Although hurricanes are a part of life on the gulf coast it is always tough when it happens to you. As a native Houstonian I can remember sheltering from hurricanes from my childhood and as an adult remember the tension of the storm and the hard work involved in the cleanup after the storm had passed.

This time our family had a mixed experience; part of our family in the far southwest had to evacuate their home because of flooding and have no idea what they’ll find when they are able to return to inspect the damage. Our daughter and her husband have taken in the displaced part of the family as they live nearby in an area that did not flood. My wife and I have a location that has remained flood-free ever since we moved in almost 42 years ago.

Recovery

Recovery efforts began immediately all over the area and are well underway at this time. Sadly most of the bayous are cresting at unprecedented levels and some have not even started to recede; it has been estimated some may not be restored to normal levels for weeks. The power at our house has been out since Tuesday morning but after Hurricane Ike and being in the dark for two weeks I invested in a standby generator which automatically kicks in when power is out and provides electricity for the entire house. It has now been in continuous operation since Tuesday morning and is powering the computer as I type this. Internet service was restored earlier this morning which completed all necessary components to send this out. I’ll send it on it’s way before the internet goes out again.

The sun is shining and the sky is blue and filled with puffy white clouds; you’d never think we had just gone through a record breaking hurricane.