Many shoppers use Black Friday to replace things they lost to Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters.

Some consumers head to home improvement stores as they replace items that the hurricane’s waters took

Shaleen Patel gazed at the lifelike displays of Best Buy’s high-tech TVs. Like the other Black Friday customers gathered around him, he came ready to buy.

His TV, though, would be a replacement, one of the last items on his list after Hurricane Harvey flooded his Timbergrove home with nearly 2 feet of water. Repairs are nearly complete, and he decided to brave the holiday crowds for the first time in years.

“Construction will be done in two weeks, and Black Friday worked well into that,” he said.

Three months after Hurricane Harvey wrecked thousands of homes, many Houston residents used Black Friday to buy the things they wished they didn’t need: replacements and repair materials.

Home Depot and Lowe’s, not always the busiest stores on the holiday shopping path, have both drawn substantial traffic in recent weeks as customers stock up on necessities.

Home Depot reported higher samestore sales in the third quarter, due in part to $282 million in hurricanerelated sales in the Houston area and

elsewhere.

“Houston, that market is up, and up significantly,” chairman, CEO and president Craig Menear said during a conference call with analysts. “There, you’re literally ripping the floor to the studs.”

Lowe’s reported a similar boost, It sold about $200 million in hurricanerelated sales during the same period.

“We expect hurricane recovery to begin in the fourth quarter and extend into 2018,” chief operating officer Rick Damron said in a conference call with analysts.

Even at Baybrook Mall, customers affected by the hurricanes made replacement purchases.

Adriana Jaime, 34, visited J.C. Penney for Christmas clothes for her three children and new pillow sets. She said the family was in need of new bedding after they opened their home to friends whose homes had flooded during the hurricane.

At Home Depot, sales of construction material have soared, and on Friday, holiday shoppers found some more festive items to warm a reconstructed house. Onedollar poinsettias and $79.99 pre-lit Christmas trees replaced wooden panels and drills.

“Everybody is just trying to get back to normal,” store manager Jesse Aguilar said. “Christmas is normal for them.”

Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle Shoppers line up to check out with their deals at the Best Buy on Richmond, near the Galleria. Some Black Friday shoppers were replacing items they lost in Harvey.

Godofredo A. Vasquez / Houston Chronicle Vinesh Viswanathan looks over Christmas trees on Black Friday at the Home Depot in Webster.

Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle Consumers looking for deals fill their carts at the Best Buy near the Galleria.