Buckner employee Ruby Rodriguez is no stranger to hurricanes. A Houston resident for 45 years, Rodriguez has seen her fair share of severe storms, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017 which left parts of her home flooded and in need of repair.
 
Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall south of Houston early on Monday, July 8, was only a Category 1. Because of that, Rodriguez and countless other Houstonians were not expecting to be so severely impacted.
 
Instead, Rodriguez found herself without power to her home for 10 days.
 
Despite the darkness and sweltering heat, Rodriguez put her own needs aside and continued to serve others in her neighborhood as well as clients of Buckner.
 
Between loading cases of water into the trunks of hundreds of cars attending a relief and recovery distribution at the Buckner Children and Family Services of Houston campus on July 15, Rodriguez spoke about her experience in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.
 
“The wind was the scariest part of Beryl for me,” Rodriguez recalled. “The wind and not knowing how my coworkers and kids were doing … it was frustrating not knowing.”
 
Hurricane Beryl’s winds exceeded 80 miles per hour, damaging power lines and cell towers and immediately causing communication to be nearly impossible for millions.
 
Rodriguez said she immediately drove an hour north of her home to purchase a gas generator, which provided enough electricity to power a small window air conditioner in her bedroom.
 
“We had to decide between plugging in our fridge or the air conditioner – and with as hot as it gets in Houston, you don’t really have a choice,” she shared.
 
While the air conditioning helped her sleep better at night, Rodriguez wasn’t around during the day to enjoy it. That’s because each day, she was hard at work with her sons and ex-husband clearing downed trees and debris from neighbors’ yards and making sure others in her community were OK.

“We’ve been volunteering nonstop from sunrise until after 10 p.m. at night,” Rodriguez said. “Helping others is a way for me to not have to think about my own burdens.”
 
More than 2,500 people were served by Rodriguez and other Buckner employees and volunteers at the distribution.
 
“I think what we are doing right now is very impactful,” she said, as she looked down the line of cars. “They may not have money to buy food and water, so helping them is just real amazing.”
 
Lora Clack, the Buckner Family Hope Center® regional director for Houston and South Texas, was another employee carrying water, cleaning supplies and hygiene kits over to families attending the distribution. Clack mentioned two other Buckner employees who were still without power in their homes at the time of the distribution.

“One of our newest team members, Violet, spent seven days cooling off in her running car,” Clack said. “She and the rest of her family would take turns sleeping in the car because it was so hot in their home. When we gave her some formula for her baby sister, she was hesitant to accept it. I had to explain to her that Buckner is in the business of helping others, whether it’s people in the community or our own team.”
 
Clack spoke about another Buckner employee, Paris, who was so upbeat and positive Clack had no idea Paris was without power too.
 
“She continued to show up and go the extra mile to make sure everyone was taken care of,” Clack continued. “I know that all Buckner staff across the state and internationally are just like this, and I’m a bit biased, but I’m proud to work alongside this team here in Houston. We support each other.”
 
For Buckner employees, serving others is more than a job, it’s a mission. It brings them joy, which can light up even the darkest seasons.

You can still make an impact for Houstonians now.