In a stunning feat of philatelic perseverance, the Greater Houston Stamp Show opening its doors to the public as planned today.
“We survived Hurricane Harvey with no damage and the Stamp Show will be held as scheduled,” reads the show website. Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in southern Texas on Aug. 25, caused at least 70 confirmed deaths in the U.S. and one death in Guyana. Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Brock Long called Harvey the worst disaster in Texas history and said the recovery could take many years.
“This will be a devastating disaster, probably the worst disaster the state’s seen,” Long told The Washington Post last month. “The recovery to this event is going to last many years to be able to help Texas and the people impacted by this event achieve a new normal.”
Although it’s still too early to determine the exact scope of the damage, economic losses are estimated at between $70 billion and $200 billion USD with a large portion of the losses sustained by uninsured homeowners.
REFUGE CENTRE
The venue of the three-day Greater Houston Stamp Show, which runs today until Sept. 17, was used at one point as a temporary refuge centre for Texans affected by the recent torrential rains and flooding from Hurricane Harvey, according to show chairman Ronald E. Strawser.
The annual show is held at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Tx. and includes about 85 frames of exhibits, 31 dealers, an awards barbecue, and a U.S. Postal Service booth on Friday and Saturday. Each year, the show hosts a single-frame competition based on a colour, which, this year, is red.
The bourse will be open to the public from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today and tomorrow, and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17. Admission and parking are both free.
For more information, visit houstonstampclub.org/HoustonStampShow.html.