Hurricane Harvey Leaves Store Shelves Bare, Texans' Spirits High

KATY, TX — It was like Black Friday, but miserable. The lines at the Katy Super Target wrapped around the store, with carts filled with whatever shoppers could find, according to Cinco Ranch mother Carrie Gillard. A military mom, Gillard and family have been through eight hurricanes with Harvey by far the worst she's witnessed.

"There's no meat, no bread, no eggs and no milk," Gillard said. "Still, we had to come for supplies."

With family and friends spread out across the country, this military mom went on Facebook Live to share her experience. (See video below.)

In this case, she shopped for frozen chicken and prepared food items, snacks for the kids, drinks other than bottled water, cereal, beans and canned food, along with a few adult beverages for good measure.

"We bought what we could without being greedy, as we have nine people currently at home," she said. "I don't know how long we'll be here or when the stores might be able to get more trucks of supplies delivered."

Uncertainty was the mood for many waiting in that line. Aside from the essentials of bottled water, batteries and emergency supplies, in Gillard's experience, many don't stock up on perishables prior to a storm.

This was her first post-storm experience of seeing shelves so blatantly bare of essentials.

"People don't stock up beforehand for a few reasons," she said. "You're either afraid you'll lose power and everything will spoil — which is usually the case — and the fact that no one had any idea it would reach proportions like this."

Though Gillard's home was unscathed, with floodwaters just coming within feet of their front door before receding, the family opened their home to friends — a family of five whose home was flooded, making it unlivable.

"You've got to make light, right?" she said with a laugh. "It's going to be a long road out. We just try to remember our blessings."

Stocking up on Tuesday was a grim necessity. Though Black Friday shopping came to mind with the lines, the attitude inside the store was one of absolute kindness, in Gillard's experience.

"I always speak to strangers but not everyone responds in kind," she said. "Today, everyone was open to receiving a smile, a kind word, a helping hand. People were courteous, despite the sense of desperation that was an undercurrent for most."

Gillard also noted that many people were filling carts with items to donate to local shelters at the junior high and high school, which are just two blocks away from the store.

Target closed more than 30 stores over the weekend and has reopened them as quickly as possible, according to its website.

"Our distribution and supply chain teams are working quickly to replenish impacted stores," a Target spokesperson said. "Before the storm, we provided extra products to stores, including batteries, flashlights, cleaning supplies and non-perishable food. Local road flooding and closures are impacting our ability to make some deliveries and in those cases, we’re holding products at our distribution facilities so we can quickly push them out to stores when roads clear."

For those standing in line, many who have hurricane experience didn't load up on frozen items or perishables.

Gillard wasn't sure when she would see supplies again, or if they would run out of food with five additional people in her home.

"We're safe, we're happy, we're healthy and that's what matters," she said.

When asked how people across the country can help, she pointed to the Red Cross as the perfect place to donate.

"We have friends from all across the world checking on us, asking what they can do," she said. "This is what America is really about. It's neighbors helping neighbors. Strangers lifting one another up. I wanted to spread a little love and sunshine around that store today, and felt it returned tenfold."

Photo: Joe Raedle /Getty Images/ News