Houston has hope in wake of Harvey's devastation, says Saskatoon expat

One Saskatoon woman living in hurricane ravaged Houston believes hope isdawning on the city in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Everyone opened their homes as much as they could.- Alison Anderson

The scenes from Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey are devastating: flooding, lootingand people struggling to find shelter.

But Alison Anderson, a Saskatoon business ownerwho now lives in the Texas city, said there seems to be a new mood rising.

"The sun is shining this morning," she said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning, adding that "some of the stores are starting to open up."

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Still much work to do

It will be months before life returns to normal in Houston, but she said something ischangingout on the streets as the community pulls together.

"To live through a hurricane is something that changes a lot of us," she said. "There is a sense of hope coming from just about everyone you see on the street."

That hope, she said, can be found in the countless acts of compassion and generosity among Houstonianswho have done their best to alleviate suffering.

"People go out of their way to help each other," said Anderson.

"Everyone opened their homes as much as they could.I know there's been a lot of concentration on the shelters being set up but there is double or triple that [number of people] staying on friends' couches."

Sask. winters good lesson on survival

Anderson is doing well. Her familystill haspower where they live, and even though homes were flooded just blocks away, their little stretch of Houston is dry.

Plus, she said, they were well stocked up, ready for an emergency thanks to lessons Anderson learned after many harsh, unpredictable and stormy winters in Saskatoon.

"I kind of knew what to grab if we lost power and couldn't cook or anything like that, so we were definitely stocked up."

Anderson's main concern now is with mould that flourishes withheat and humidity, and all the human waste that overflowing sewage systems have left behind.