It has been just over three months since the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey had devastated our communities. Sometimes we can look around and see that things are getting better; other times, we wonder if it ever will.

This week will be the final week for curbside debris pickup handled by the city. But there continues to be more debris across many neighborhoods still in need of removal. This duty is now thrust upon the responsibility of citizens.

Many citizens have been able to get a jump on having their homes repaired.  However, many others continue to wait for drywall installation to begin. And even some are so far behind they won’t see the work begin on their homes until March or April. And then there are still some that are handling all the work on their own because they didn’t have the right insurance.

A handful of lucky citizens were not affected as much, or at all, and have been able to live this journey of recovery in the comfort of their own homes. Others have been able to find suitable temporary housing while displaced — living in rentals, fifth wheel trailers, etc. Yet, hundreds are still living in hotel rooms or waiting for a FEMA trailer to show up. And sadly there are others that have to live out of their car because they are unable to afford a hotel room.

Businesses are starting to get back on track. We expect The Port Arthur News to be open again at our office on Memorial Drive in Port Arthur the week of December 11^th. Restaurants were first to be back up and running, allowing some sense of normalcy to resume. But there are still a number of businesses that have gone out of business — some temporarily while others for good.

What has brought us this far over the past few months is the strength and resolve to not allow these types of issues to bring us down. We need to continue being there for each other. No, we are not always in a positive mindset to achieve that strength and resolve 100 percent of the time.  And sometimes we have those days that we do wonder if it will ever get better. Life on the outside world goes on. News media that covered our story has moved on to the next big story. That is why we have each other, across our community, to help in that support. To continue pushing each other in whatever way we can.

Support can be helping family or friends get their homes back in line. Support can come from donating one’s time to any one of the numbers of charities working to help citizens. And support can come from a simple smile that just might pick up someone who is having a tough day. Yes, there is much, much more to do. But we are strong. We are Southeast Texas Strong.