this was a week

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Well, this was a week. Here in Houston, things have pretty much gotten back to normal, as far as power and internet — and the water is coming back as well. The ice has melted from the streets, and we’re told that grocery stores should be back fully stocked by the end of the weekend. By next week, the temperature should be in the 70s, which is considerably warmer than what it was when I took the photo above on Tuesday.

Still, folks are still struggling all around the state, from people still experiencing or recovering from hypothermia, burst pipes ruining homes, and much more. So if you’d like to help, please do: Texas Monthly has done a great round-up of helping organizations that could use your assistance. I’m sure any aid would be greatly appreciated.

That said, even in challenging times like there, there is always some good. Here are some stories from this week:

• Just like they did during Hurricane Harvey, local furniture store Gallery Furniture opened their warehouse as a warming centre and shelter for those who had no heat in their homes.

• When folks were busy shopping for critical supplies at the local HEB grocery store and the power went out due to the storm, the store just let people take their groceries for free, knowing that its customers needed to get home safely. Amazing. (HEB is a great grocery chain, and now I love them even more.)

• This woman went to check on her store during the storm, and discovered that the 150 cases of bottled water that were stacked outside were gone. But they weren’t stolen.

On that note, have a great weekend, friends. More soon.