KINGWOOD, Texas - Nearly six months after Harvey, thousands of people are still working to bounce back. We've seen the hashtags, "Houston Strong" and "Kingwood Strong" and with strength, comes endurance.
On Wednesday, August 30, 2017, KHOU 11 showed viewers the area around West Lake Houston Parkway and Kingwood Drive. Just days after Harvey hit, the area was flooded and only accessible by boat.
On any other day it would have been a bustling shopping center, but that day it was underwater.
"The water was just about seven and a half feet," said Shane Edwards as he extended his arm above his head.
On August 31, the water around Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway receded. Edwards was able to walk through his ice cream shop, SubZero, for the first time since the flood.
The 23-year-old had opened it just a few months prior to Hurricane Harvey and the storm destroyed it.
Then, Edwards told KHOU 11 he would rebuild, "We’re hoping to bounce back as quickly as possible" said Edwards in the August 2017 interview. "Maybe a month or two."
Twenty-three weeks later, SubZero Kingwood re-opened its doors.
"I underestimated the amount of construction that was going on in the area," said Edwards. "But, we’re back."
Sean West, an 11-year-old, was the first customer of the day on Saturday. He ordered a small cup of chocolate ice cream with Oreo's and mint chips.
"It is fantastic," said West after his first bite.
Over the last five months, the 6th grade boy said he would ask his mother to drive by the shopping center where SubZero is located. West said he was "devastated" with each passing month, afraid SubZero wouldn't reopen.
"I feel really bad for some of our neighbors across the street that weren't’t able to get up and running," said Edwards. "Seeing everything open up is really inspiring and really exciting."
Customers began lining up along the counter, reviewing the menu and ordering ice cream. SubZero uses nitrogen to prepare the ice cream.
While Edwards' timeline for his reopening was a little off, his #KingwoodStrong story is a reminder that with strength comes endurance.