VIDOR, Texas — How do you cope when the pieces of your life have been washed away by a tropical storm?
In Vidor's Maple Crest subdivision, standing water is slowing down some of the cleanup efforts, leaving many people across the area with no choice but to start over and clinging tightly to the very little they have left.
"It makes your heart hurt seeing some of the valuable things that are ruined," said Monica Jarrell. "We had just gotten the last of the projects finished."
The Jarrells had only been in their new house for six months. They were out of town when they got a call from their son they'll never forget.
"He said, 'dad, do you know what's going on down here?' He said it's another Harvey," said Benson Jarrell.
The water took most of what the family has, but among the debris and wreckage the Jarrells salvaged something more important than material items: memories.
"So we saved what, 95 percent of thousands of pictures?" Benson Jarrell said. "So that's a miracle."
Down the street at Mark Jackson's house, flooding is limiting the cleanup process and he's been here before.
"The water isn't as high as it was in Harvey, but the damage is identical," Jackson said.
With poor drainage and no solution, Jackson said he's had enough.
"It's going to happen again and there's no point in rebuilding unless something changes," Jackson explained.
But among the gutted homes and lives turned upside down are some bright spots. Hundreds of them, actually.
"That's a wonderful thing. Texans helping Texans," said Daniel Harris with the Church of Latter Day Saints. "It doesn't matter if it's four feet or four inches, you still have to rip everything out and it's just sad having to see them go through this again."
Piece by piece, Texans are working together to rebuild their lives. In the meantime, they're holding onto those memories and each others.
"We can still be happy and grateful for what we do have, because family and community is more important," said Monica Jarrell.
