Posted on 09/15/2008 5:31:10 AM PDT by Chong
Ralph Hayes walked up the pitch-black stairways of a north Houston apartment building Sunday, pulling a wheeled ice chest that thumped up the steps behind him. He emerged into a stifling hallway and knocked on the first door to his right.
"Hello?" he shouted. "We've got water and sandwiches if you need it."
Hayes and his wife, Charlotte Hayes, were on a mission of mercy at the Heights House, whose elderly and disabled tenants have been without power, water or telephone service since Hurricane Ike struck the Gulf Coast early Saturday.
Over the weekend, thousands of Houstonians demonstrated similar devotion to their neighbors.
Some gestures were relatively simple — they helped cut up trees, they helped rake up branches, they barbecued enough meat to feed entire blocks. Others, like Hayes, offered potentially lifesaving help.
He knew many of the residents hadn't been able to evacuate and were short on water, food and other supplies.
"I went out and bought two big bags of sandwiches, and my neighbors made some more," Hayes said. "But we've really just put a dent (in the problem.)"
About 4 a.m. Saturday, just as Hurricane Ike was pummeling the Houston area, Doug Hudspeth thought he heard a voice in his apartment hallway.
When he peeked out his front door, there was neighbor Mark Griffin, talking to a 911 operator about internal injuries. He'd fallen off his balcony, landed on his back and head, and he needed an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
When Griffin learned that wasn't going to happen for hours, he turned to Hudspeth, whom he barely knew.
"Can you take me?"
Hudspeth, a CenterPoint Energy employee, threw on his clothes, borrowed the keys to his girlfriend's SUV and braced himself for a frightening ride to Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
"This is an American neighborhood," Zepeda said. "It's the American thing to do. We just grew up like that — you help the neighbors when you can."
Yup. Texans helping fellow Texans in need and helping one another out in spite of their own need. That’s beautiful.
One guy emptied out his freezer and BBQ’d all the meat and fed the neighbors and now he is under a “threat” that when he stocks his freezer back up, the neighbors will unplug it for a second round. LOL!
God Bless Texans!
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