About three weeks ago John went with our church to help clean up in Galveston. It took me this long to post about the trip because John took a disposable camera and then we had to get it developed and we are just so spoiled by our digital camera that I kept forgetting about having to get it developed. Yeah I know I'm lazy. So anyway, this trip was a lot different than the last one. Last time John spent the whole time hauling logs and branches and stuff, but this time was spent "demucking houses". Basically, it meant going into homes in the hopes of salvaging them, by taking out everything that was water damaged from the floors to the walls and the appliances. Oh and not to mention all the other stuff in the house. The whole island smelled bad and the stench inside the houses was even worse. They had to wear masks and special shoes and gloves. One of the big jobs was getting the appliances out and the worst of which was the refrigerator. Because the fridges were filled with rotted food and sea water they weren't allowed to open them and they had to duck tape them shut and haul them out. Unfortunately for another Church group one of the fridges they were moving started to leak and the smell was so bad that grown men started throwing up. The last time John went was physically draining, but this trip was more mentally and emotionally draining. You just can't image the damage that these hurricanes cause and we feel like the news this time kind of covered all the hype up to the hurricane but kind of has ignored what happens afterwards. It was a very humbling experience.
The guys ready to serve in their "Helping Hands" shirts.
Inside one of the houses they helped "demuck." John said it was really sad because people desperately wanted to keep their belongings but really pretty much nothing was really safe to keep because of all the water and mold damage.
A tree ripped to shreds. Some big trees survived but basically all the leaves were dead. It looked like winter, but they were surrounded by the heat of summer.
A gas station and the attached convenience store destroyed.
This boat may look like its just sitting on the side of the road (which would be crazy enough), but it was blown on top of a fish bait shop.
This huge pile of debris was about 3 football fields long and 10 -12 feet high the whole way. They have found bodies in there and there are so many missing people that may never be found.
What was a restaurant along the beach.
A tree ripped to shreds. Some big trees survived but basically all the leaves were dead. It looked like winter, but they were surrounded by the heat of summer.
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