Amid the wreckage of Hurricane Harvey, there are many stories of resilience. The hurricane has caused 32,000 people to seek shelter, left at least 19 people dead, and caused billions of dollars in damage to infrastructure, but it hasn’t broken the kind and brave spirits of Houstonians.
Here are six heartwarming acts of strength and kindness shown by good samaritans since Hurricane Harvey’s destruction in the Lonestar state.
Read More: 14 Instances of Every Day People Being Heroes in Houston After Hurricane Harvey Strikes
Spider Man Visits Shelter, Brings Smiles to Children's Faces
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man making kids smile at the GRB: pic.twitter.com/K2NSweXAE4
— Stef Manisero (@StefManisero) August 29, 2017
(courtesy of @RobbieVaughn79 Photojournalist/Editor at TWC News Austin)
Someone dressed as Spider Man visited the shelter at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston to cheer up children.
The shelter has already received more than 9,000 evacuees, according to Houston’s ABC 13 News.
An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 homes have been destroyed in the Houston area.
Videos were posted on social media showing Spider Man visiting kids, handing out stickers, and putting smiles on their faces.
Pizza Hut Delivered Pizza’s Kayaking to Flood Victims
THANK YOU to our Oak Lake Pizza Hut team for their out-of-the-car response to deliver hot pizzas all day to the community they serve. pic.twitter.com/Xmkv9XhrKw
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) August 30, 2017
Residents in Sugar Land, Texas, received an unexpected special delivery of 120 hot pies from Pizza Hut, reported Fox 4 News.
“They were so happy to see us coming down the street,” Shayda Willison, manager of Pizza Hut in Sugar Land, told Fox 4 News.
Willison said when she heard people in the area were trapped in their homes and running out of food, she gathered a crew and began cooking pizzas as quickly as they could.
Willison gathered several kayaks, and with the help of her husband, family members and other workers, delivered the pizzas.
She plans to make more deliveries in the future until her store runs out of supplies.
Read More: Harvey Lashes Texas and Louisiana As Officials Warn 30,000 People Will Need Shelter
Four Mexican Bakers Stranded By Hurricane Harvey Made Loaves of Bread For Flood Victims
The group of bakers from El Bolillo Bakery in Houston, Texas, used up to 2,000 kg of flour to make pan dulce, Mexican sweet bread delivered to emergency centers across the city for people affected by the floods, according to Business Insider.
Unable to leave the bakery, and to keep themselves occupied from worrying about friends and family, the men were able to work throughout the night and into the next following day with available electricity.
Brian Alvarado, the manager of the shop on South Wayside Drive, told The Independent: "When they realised they were stuck, they decided to keep themselves busy and help the community and made as many loaves of bread as they could.”
Folks took to social media calling them “heroes” and praising their “big hearts” and “heartwarming community service.”
A Furniture Store With New Beds and Sofas Becomes a Refuge
Our GF N FWRY & GF Grand PKWY stores are open for those in need. If you can safely join us, we invite you for shelter and food. God Bless. pic.twitter.com/IHHgjKmjMY
— MattressMack (@MattressMack) August 28, 2017
Owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and his team drove their delivery trucks to rescue about 200 people stranded on an overpass, CNN reported.
Those rescued were then brought to the mattress store and told to make themselves comfortable.
Locals donated towels, clothes, shoes and toys to the 160,000-square-foot showroom of the Gallery Furniture store located just outside of Houston.
One couple, Magdalena Marez and her fiancé Zachary Gasser, were given dry clothes, toothbrushes, soap and shoes -- and a mattress still covered in plastic.
"We never stepped foot in (one of his stores) and now I'm just like, wow, I mean, they opened up the doors. Like nothing. He didn't even second guess it," Marez told CNN. "He was just like, 'Let me help you.'"
McIngvale is offering shelter at several locations throughout Houston, and is paying for portable showers, so evacuees can have their first hot shower in days.
Austin Pets Alive Shelter Rescues Animals
Fur babies have not been forgotten!
Austin Pets Alive, an animal shelter and no-kill pet advocacy group, has transported hundreds of pets in the path of Hurricane Harvey to its shelter. The group created a page on its website specific to Hurricane Harvey-related needs.
"Currently, our numbers have increased to 330 animals (169 dogs, 122 cats, and 40 more confirmed pets en route.)," Austin Pets Alive wrote to ABC News.
Like Austin Pets Alive, shelters throughout the state are working to keep up with the sheer number of pets and other animals in need.
Rescue Teams From Across The State Race To Lend A Helping Hand
Read More: Texas officials say at least nine dead as Harvey flooding continues
The Houston police dispatched officers on boats that were sent through streets to places where the floodwater reached the pumps at gas stations, The Washington Post reported.
In Houston, the fire department responded to more 4,000 water-related calls for service. Police rescued 2,000 people in the city, and another 185 critical rescue requests were still pending, Art Acevedo, the Houston police chief, said at a news briefing Monday.
“The goal is rescue,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at the briefing. “That’s the major focus for the day.”