Houston Chronicle by Perla Trevizo Jan. 24, 2020
Roy Hernandez stood inside what was left of his home — shattered glass, roof insulation dropping from the ceiling, doors blasted off their hinges — and worried about what he’d wear to work Monday.
“All my uniforms are up there, underneath all this rubble,†he said in the middle of what used to be the living room.
Outside his broken window sit the remains of the Friday morning explosion at the Watson Grinding Manufacturing. The blast killed at least two workers, sent nearly 20 others to the hospital and damaged more than 200 homes in its vicinity, leaving a few dozen of them uninhabitable — including Hernandez’s.
As the day unfolded, those who had spent the night at a hotel or with relatives, slowly started trickling in. Soon, the quiet was replaced by the commotion of contractors driving around, fire trucks trying to make their way through the narrow residential streets, and volunteers fanning out with gloves and tools in hand.
More than 100 volunteers showed up to help cut plywood to cover windows and repair damaged roofs. Many are part of Restoration Team, a network of more than a dozen churches formed after Hurricane Harvey.
“We are making sure our neighbors know they are not alone in their recovery nor in their journey,†said Josef Klam, executive pastor at Chapelwood United Methodist Church, as the groups went door to door.
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