I’m sure you have heard plenty of news, both heroic and heartbreaking, in regards to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey that slammed into Southern Texas this past weekend. The devastation left in the wake of the storm has left at least 40 people dead and structural damage is believed to exceed $50 billion. Many have lost everything so rebuilding and returning to “normal” is a difficult task.
We’ve not heard a lot about the state of the amusement industry after the storm – I don’t just mean in terms of location damage but for the homes and lives of those that work in the business. Industry newsletters from Replay Magazine and Play Meter have both been providing some updates as they know about them with Play Meter sending out info this afternoon about how to donate towards relief efforts through PayRange.
I also have received a letter that was sent out to different Dave & Busters entities – not a press release per say but it has some info that people might find pertinent. To quote from the letter:
In the wake of this tragedy, the spirit of Houston persevered. Our teams
have been on the ground ensuring our team is safe and working to help them
rebuild their lives. This continues to be our priority and since Monday the
HEART fund has provided over $100,000 in assistance. Mike Corbell, our
Regional Operations Director, is in Houston working side-by-side with our
teams and General Managers Tom Au-Yeung, Adrian Williams and Andy
Oreskovich.We recognized that with our stores closed there are negative financial
implications to our team. Fortunately, our stores sustained minimal damage,
and our teams have put great effort into getting them reopened. It is with
gratitude that we share all three Houston stores will reopen today at noon.
Despite the fact that many have suffered near total loss of all their
possessions, when we reached out to out to the teams they were excited to
return to work and help us reopen. We were told by many that this was the
first step in regaining normalcy in their lives.The outpour of donations from our broader D&B team that has come together
to provide support in this time of great need has been moving. Lastly, we
want to thank our people of Houston for showing us the extraordinary power
of the human spirit. We are proud to be a part of this community and
believe the city will recover Texas Strong!
I added the emphasis there as I think that is important. Work doesn’t have to be just about the money, the right work gives you purpose beyond the paycheck. Fortunately, no one from the D&B team (or any other amusement company from what I have heard) lost their lives in the storm; it is also good that the locations did not suffer major damage as this allows them to re-open sooner.
My thanks to D&B for sending this news along and I truly do hope that the region is able to recover as quickly as is possible. If you know about other locations that have been affected, comment below; and if you have the means to do so, make a donation at a reputable charity.
