On Friday, volunteers brought their boats to Cinco Ranch and helped residents return to their flooded homes to collect belongings. Maria Rodrigues and Molly Cox were among those organizing the retrievals along Westheimer Parkway near McMeans Junior High School.
Residents in Cinco Ranch wait in line to take boats back to their homes and retrieve belongings.[/caption]"She's been standing in line for hours," Rodrigues said, pointing to a woman loading suitcases of clothes from her home in a car to head to the airport.
Kelliwood Park resident Anupam Das brought out his porta boat to take residents into the floodwaters near McMeans Junior High School, even though he evacuated his own home Sunday.
"I helped a lady get her daughter's wedding dress," he said. "The preference is people who need medications."
Das said his home took on enough water that he could paddle a canoe through his living room on Tuesday morning.
A line of people waited for hours to go back into the neighborhoods, which had been flooded by the Barker Reservoir's overflow. The flooding occurred after officials intentionally released water from the dam in an attempt to prevent further flooding westward.
Volunteers help residents retrieve belongings from flooded homes in Cinco Ranch.[/caption]First responders were housed and fed at First United Methodist Church since Tuesday, volunteer Katie Poland said. As of Friday, 50 responders—mostly Texas Department of Public Safety officers—were staying at the church and about 75 were getting meals at the church.
Donations, many of which were gathered through Katy Christian Ministries, were being stored at the church's family life center. Clothes, toiletries, diapers and food were in piles that covered almost the entire center floor Friday.
Poland and volunteer Karí Day said they expect another round of first responders to take over next week.
"I think we're looking at about two weeks from here on out," Poland said.
Charter buses wait at Katy ISD's Legacy Stadium in case evacuees need to be relocated.[/caption]When not feeding rescuers at the church, First United sent volunteers to Katy ISD's Legacy stadium to provide charter bus drivers with meals. The buses have been in Katy for over a week, waiting to see if evacuees need to be driven to other locations.
Fullington Trailways in Pennsylvania asked 20 of its drivers to come to Texas, and drivers Chad Woodring, Victor Beers and William Obringer said they were not sure when they would head back.
