Hurricane Harvey 2017: aftermath

Today the sun is finally shinning. I went for a run as soon as I saw the sky opening. Every little glimpse of hope means the world to people who have stared devastation in the face and who are still dealing with it.
My family and I are safe at our home. Many people are not. Our county is still in pins and needles closely watching river levels. We hear helicopters going by. We are sure they are here to help. We're all becoming familiar with words such as cresting, curfews and levee districts. The post office is closed. Our airports are closed. Businesses are mostly closed.
Many neighborhoods were evacuated but we know some people decided to stay and wait it out. This storm hasn't been easy for anyone.

We hear a lot of people are waiting to help and their help will be needed. What's been great to see is neighbors helping each other. This morning, my kids and I gathered donations and we took them to a distribution center.

The center reached capacity a few hours after we walked away. While we wait for roads to open and life to be normalized, it's been awesome to see neighbors helping each other.
Our city officials are hard at work helping us.

We are taking this recovery one day at a time. Our hearts are relieved yet heavy; happy yet concerned. Thoughtful but always hopeful that we will rise up stronger.

I appreciate all the people who thought about us and prayed for us. I thank you for reaching out and wanting to help. Help is very much needed now and we will be needing a lot of help in the future.

One thing everyone can do is to pray for us. Pray that the water levels will diminish so evacuees can go back home to reassess their lives and rebuild. Pray that the roads will be open and safe for travel. Pray for comfort for those who lost loved ones. Pray for comfort for those who lost possessions and jobs. Pray that our souls will be strong again and that resilience will win at the end.

Thank you my friend. God will see us through and we will rise up stronger.