Wednesday was the first day without rain in Houston since Hurricane Harvey hit. What a difference a day made — some places for the better, some for the worse.
"It was sunny, pretty blue sky," said Gladys Robins, as she got out of a military evacuation vehicle. "The water kept coming!"
Robins was one of many people evacuated during the flooding. She left her apartment in Houston's Walnut Bend.
A strip mall served as a staging area for evacuation vehicles, as military trucks, boats, and dump trucks trolled the neighborhood, looking for anyone who wanted a way out of the flood waters.
There was no flooding there until Tuesday, when the water crept towards garages. With no new rain falling, the flooding came from a controlled release of the swollen Addicks Reservoir.
"That's just the way it is," Robins said. "You just have to roll with it and keep on going."
In downtown Houston, the first day without rain was a time for many to get out and stretch their legs and assess the damage. The Buffalo Bayou that spilled onto nearby streets had started to recede.
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"Where I ride my bike is probably 15-feet under water," said Travis Pounders, looking out over Buffalo Bayou Park. "There's a volleyball court down there somewhere."
"Yeah, we've been trapped indoors with kids since Friday," said Lauren Napier. "We're just looking forward to the recovery and waiting to see what's next."
Napier's sister called it a teachable moment for her two children, 7-year old Carter and 3-year old Olivia.
"To show them they have to be really grateful for what they have," Nikki Gamble said. "You have to give back."
