Houston counts costs of Harvey

RESIDENTS PICK UP PIECES OF THEIR LIVES Downtown shelter is temporary home to about 1 400 still overnighting there.

Eight days after taking refuge from mega storm Harvey, Katrina Nelson was treated to something completely unexpected at the relief shelter in downtown Houston: a massage.

“Is it a stressful time? Of course it is,” the 37-year-old mother and account manager said after her 15-minute back, neck and shoulder rub by a volunteer professional masseuse in a busy hall of the cavernous George R Brown Convention Centre. Did it help? “Totally.” As nerves began fraying among evacuees in their second week of displacement following one of the worst storms on record in Texas, the basic act of lying face down and putting one’s aching muscles in the hands of a caring human being lifted their spirits.

“Something as simple as a massage, it goes a long way,” said Nelson, who left her Houston home with her children amid relentless rain and rising floodwaters.

“You go through the rest of your day with a smile on your face.”

Smiles were rare among fellow evacuees in Houston. Residents here and across much of coastal Texas and Louisiana are struggling through the horrors and heartbreak of a sprawling natural disaster and its aftermath.

The water may have mostly receded in America’s fourth-largest city and the long road to recovery has begun for some. But many face daunting immediate challenges.

Evacuees sifted through donated clothing, stood in line for food, answered questions by Federal Emergency Management Administration officials and filled out applications for telephones, housing and other support. One man vented about being unable to get back to his home city of Galveston.

“People are broken. People have almost died inside, they’re very distressed,” said Christa Martinez, a pastor from Georgia who came to Texas with a church friend to offer support and problem-solving, such as helping evacuees obtain replacement medications.

The downtown shelter, where President Donald Trump hugged evacuees on Saturday, is temporary home to about 1 400 people still overnighting there, down dramatically from the 10 400 people who spent the night early last week. – AFP

People are broken. People have almost died inside.