Page 6 - IVA

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 23 November 2017

On Thanksgiving, family hurt by Harvey counts its blessings

By NOMAAN MERCHANT wooden beams. husband in the dining room
Associated Press Almost three months after where they would have
HOUSTON (AP) — The kitch- Hurricane Harvey slammed served Thanksgiving dinner.
en where George and into the Texas Gulf Coast, “So many of the blessings
Arva Dorsey prepare an killing more than 80 people have come through this di-
18-dish feast every Thanks- and damaging at least saster. We’re just grateful.”
giving has been stripped of 200,000 homes, the Dorseys George Dorsey said one
everything but its granite and other families are cel- possibility was the family —
countertops, standing on ebrating Thanksgiving how- including some members
their own with no applianc- ever they can. from out of town — could
es below. The house they “We try to keep our head spend Thursday with a
renovated and expanded up, and we know that God friend. Or they might go
over three decades has is above all,” said Arva to a local buffet-style res-
been gutted down to its Dorsey, sitting next to her taurant for turkey and trim- In this Nov. 17, 2017 photo, George Dorsey, center, hugs
Samaritan’s Purse volunteers, Nikki Moore, left, and Samantha
Roundtree, who are helping rebuild his hurricane-damaged
home in Houston. Dorsey usually hosts a large Thanksgiving
dinner for family but is making other arrangements this year as
they continue to recover from the storm damage.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

mings. left Southeast Texas alto-
Some people are gather- gether, abandoning mort-
ing at churches that have gages on homes that were
held large meals for peo- wrecked by floodwaters.
ple displaced by the storm Some people are still living
and volunteers spending in apartments infested with
the holiday away from their mold. The Dorseys were res-
families to help rebuild. cued from their home the
Others will go to annual second night of the storm
events like Houston’s “Su- by a National Guard truck,
per Feast,” where volun- with Guardsmen pulling
teers this year will hand out them out of floodwaters
clothes and supplies along that had reached several
with turkey and stuffing. feet and still rising.
Furniture store owner Jim The Guard took them to
McIngvale — a Houston a nearby Baptist church,
icon known as “Mattress where they slept for two
Mack” — is opening one of nights on the floor until cots
his Gallery Furniture loca- arrived. They spent a week
tions for a feast that starts at the church, where they
at 10 a.m. Thursday. celebrated their 35th an-
In Houston, the nation’s niversary with a dance as
fourth-largest city, there other evacuees toasted
are plenty of signs of prog- them holding paper cups
ress. Blocks that had piles filled with punch.
of debris on every front Dozens of volunteers from
lawn are being cleared. churches all over the world
Work crews are in neigh- have since arrived in their
borhoods all over the city, neighborhood, many of
and nonprofit groups have them unprompted, to help
distributed hundreds of mil- rebuild.
lions in aid. George Dorsey, 59, walked
But more than 47,000 peo- through his house last week
ple across Texas, including as volunteers from the
the Dorseys, are still stay- group Samaritan’s Purse
ing in hotels with vouchers worked inside and on the
from the Federal Emergen- roof. The staccato sound
cy Management Agency. of nail guns rang out as he
Others are staying with talked. The air inside was
family members or have dry, but dusty.q