The Lake Houston area bore the full brunt of Hurricane Harvey this week, leaving flooding, wind damage and more for business owners to deal with in the coming weeks and months.   As the region begins its long path to recovery, a local chamber of commerce is working to provide funds as quickly as possible. The Lake Houston Chamber of Commerce collaborated with Insperity and Somebody Cares Humble to found the Lake Houston Area Relief Fund. Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce President Jenna Armstrong said the idea for the fund came from Corinn Price, who is the director of community involvement at Insperity, a large employer in the area. Price called Armstrong saying that while Houston would likely receive plenty of support, it was important to not forget about the smaller communities. That was on Tuesday. By Thursday, Armstrong said the fund had already raised about $5,000. She said the money will eventually be dispersed to individuals in the Lake Houston community for expenses not covered by FEMA or insurance. Specific parameters have not been set yet. Some of the money could go to businesses like the Humble Golf Center, whose owners posted on Facebook Tuesday night to report a total loss of both their business and home.
And as long as businesses are in the process of rebuilding, other companies in the area will be able to lend them a hand and rebuild themselves in the process. Charlie Crabtree, owner of Humble Carpet and Tile, said his business stands just streets away from Hurricane Harvey damage, having narrowly escaped the storm. He estimates Humble Carpet and Tile will be part of Hurricane Harvey rebuild efforts for the next two years. Crabtree said he has ordered 50 carpet rolls since the storm and just placed another order for a shipping container to store additional supplies for flooring. "We've ordered in boat loads of stuff," Crabtree said. "We've been here for 30 years and we know how to work in a disaster." Crabtree said he is working with other businesses in the area to get them up and going again, including a Lupe Tortilla location that just placed a request for new carpeting. Adam Cruz, who is in charge of operations for Cruz Air & Electric, said his business is preparing to run crews 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The storm took away the capacity for Cruz Air & Electric to get to work immediately, so it is just now that the company is operating with a full staff, checking the safety of electric systems in homes before the rebuild process can officially start. "Unfortunately, it was just physically answering phones for a while, and [Wednesday] was the first day we could get boots on the ground and get to homes," he said. The company also provides HVAC and generator systems, and Cruz projects it will be many months before the Hurricane Harvey rebuild effort slows down. "Houston took a huge hit, and we are just working to try to absorb the Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita needs," Cruz said. Cruz Air & Electric has been in the area since 1982.