HOUSTON — It’s been more than a day since a massive explosion in northwest Houston took the lives of two workers and damaged hundreds of nearby homes.
Residents whose homes were destroyed by the impact of the explosion had no choice but to leave their neighborhood after the blast with no idea of when they could return.
Thankfully, police allowed families to get back to their homes Friday evening to board up their windows, secure the belongings and start the cleanup process.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo made it very clear during a press conference that police will be doing round the clock patrols to fend off potential looters and anyone caught prosecuting will be charged.
But there are so many things that need to happen before residents can start rebuilding and getting back to their lives.
Insurance companies will likely set the pace. Adjusters are going to begin estimating damage and so is the city, which compared the destruction to Hurricane Harvey.
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner reminds us it could’ve been worse.
“If the explosion occurred two hours later many more people, lives, could have been lost and many other individuals in the surrounding areas could have been seriously impacted,” Turner said.
Team Rubicon, which is a group of military veterans who step in to rebuild homes after disaster, is already organizing an operation to help families in need.
And don’t forget about the businesses.
Nearby businesses are also having to clean up, which means they are unable to make money.
Meanwhile, at the blast site, many federal, state and local agencies are doing their own investigations, which officials said may take up to a year to complete.
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