On Monday, the city of Houston was inundated by rain.
Floodwaters wrecked homes and apartments throughout the city, and claimed at least seven lives.
Hundreds headed to Red Cross shelters around the area. Two days after the storms, in the Greenspoint area on the north side of town, there were still a few hundred at the M.O. Campbell Center in Aldine.
A group of about 30 Texans players, along with a dozen or so Lady Texans visited the Campbell Center on
Texans players helped serve pizza and pass out pillows and gift cards at a Greenspoint-area shelter for families displaced by Houston flooding.
Wednesday. They passed out new pillows. They gave away giftcards. They donned hairnets and handed out slices of pizza. Above all, they tried to show they cared.
"It's amazing," Duane Brown said. "It takes a lot to not get emotional in this kind of setting. Just knowing what these people have been through the last couple of days, how devastating it's been, it's good that we were able to come in and bring a little bit of joy to them just for a few moments."
Brown is the most tenured of Texans, as the left tackle was a first round pick in 2008. After seeing the images on the news Monday and Tuesday, he said he and his teammates were anxious to give a little something back.
"I've been in Houston for eight years now, and this City loves us," Brown said. "You feel the gratitude all the time."
In a brief speech to the flood victims, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins echoed Brown's sentiments.
"Y'all keep us going," Hopkins said. "We feel your love in this city, everywhere we go. We appreciate that. You might have lost material things, but you still got each other. We're just here to show you all love, and show our appreciation for you. Stay strong."
Brown grew up in Virginia. Hopkins is from South Carolina. Defensive end J.J. Watt is a Wisconsin native, but he said he and his teammates are also Houstonians, nonetheless.
"A lot of us are from out of town, but Houston is our second home, and we feel the love from the city of Houston," Watt said. "Not on gameday. But every single day. And we appreciate that love so much."
Watt added that he and his teammates were feeling for those affected, and wanted to do something in return.
"Today we just want to help you guys rebuild, and go through the process with you," Watt said. "We want you to know you're not alone."
After distributing a pillow and gift card, the Texans moved to the cafeteria and passed out slices of pizza.
The day wouldn't have been possible without contributions from Papa John's Pizza, Mattress Firm, Academy, Palais Royal, Coca Cola, and U.S. Coachways.
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