Hurricane Ike Hit Home

John Llewellyn, Owner and President of Llewellyn's Construction, is a native Texan and like most Texans, takes every opportunity to boast about how proud he is of his LONESTAR State and his Texas roots. With this Texas size pride, comes a great sense of community and an unparallel commitment to helping his fellow neighbor, especially in time of need. True to his Texan heritage, by 3:00 P.M. Saturday, the same day Hurricane Ike ravaged Houston and the surrounding areas, John and his crew were already maneuvering through the destruction, to offer aide wherever they could. Llewellyn's Constructions' 13+ years of operation, combined with countless years of experience, enabled all of us, the skills and knowhow to provide expert assistance to hundreds of homeowners residing in Montgomery, Harris, Grimes, Walker, Waller and San Jacinto Counties. Unfortunately, there were occasions when we had to clean up the additional damage caused by those who became Tree Removal Experts over night. Because Llewellyn's Construction owns and maintains its own fleet of heavy equipment, including excavators, dozers and dump trucks, more assistance was rendered immediately and continuously, throughout this horrific ordeal, to those who desperately need our services. However, finding fuel and Ice was an unexpected challenge that quickly reminded us all how lucky we are, as a society. Driving for 1 ½ hours each way for fuel and supplies was the scenario which played out for days. Dedication and a determination to conquer this beast called Ike, was what carried us through the endless days only to return each night to a dark home. Our immediate community went 21 days without utilities, including water, since most of our well pumps ran off electricity.

As a community, we eventually tamed Ike and our day to day routines returned back to normal. Fuel and ice are just a mile away and available 24/7. Candles are once again used for decoration and the constant humming of the generators has been replaced with the lonely cries of the coyotes howling at the moon. It's surprising how quickly we fall back into the same regime as if Ike was just a bad dream. But for us a Llewellyn's Construction, the lessons we learned and the experience we gained will only enable us to be that much better the next time a disaster decides to rear its ugly face.