RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesA powerful storm knocked out power and damaged homes across San Antonio on Friday night, but a barber refused to close his shop. Texas Publilc Radio reported that with no electricity, he moved his barber chair outside and continued cutting customers’ hair as residents cleaned up fallen trees and dealt with the heat.Winds of 50 to 65 mph, heavy rain, lightning and flash flooding to parts of the city knocked down trees and power lines across the city, left homes damaged, trees and utility poles toppled and more than 112,000 CPS Energy customers without electricity at its peak.Tens of thousands of people were still without power on Saturday as residents began clearing debris and checking the damage. With temperatures rising towards 100 degrees, families without electricity also had to find ways to stay cool.On San Antonio’s West Side, the morning after the storm was filled with the sounds of chainsaws, generators and people working together. Streets near Zarzamora Street were covered with fallen branches and trees. Some trees had landed on homes and vehicles, while others brought down power lines.No electricity stops this barberThe power cuts also affected businesses across the West Side. Some businesses closed on Saturday, while others looked for ways to continue operating despite the outage.At the Misfit barbershop on Martin Street, owner and barber Juan Martinez decided not to close. Instead, he moved a barber’s chair outside the shop and continued cutting customers’ hair.The chair was placed beneath an awning, where it had some shade. The shop itself had no electricity, but Martinez was determined to keep working. “It’s a hard time, but you want to look good,” Martinez said.For Martinez, closing was not really an option. “I’m a business owner and as long as I’m out here showing my guys, power, no power, we can still do it,” he said.A little wind outside was enough to make the arrangement possible, Martinez said. His customers were also trying to deal with the situation in the same way.“It’s hard, it’s crazy, it’s difficult, but at the end of the day all they say is we gotta roll with the punches. We gotta keep positive.”The damage around the neighbourhood was still clearly visible. Fallen trees had hit vehicles and power lines, while some homes had roofs badly damaged or completely removed.“These trees are old and you see them and the trees are knocked over the vehicles, knocked out powerlines, there’s a couple of houses where the roofs are caved in, roofs are taken off, it’s just madness right now,” Martinez said.West Side residents help each otherDespite the damage and power outages, Martinez said the neighbourhood had an important strength- its community. “I feel like as a community we can pull together,” he said.Martinez was born and raised on the West Side and said the area’s history and roots were an important part of its identity.“That’s what I love about the West Side,” he said. “I’m born and raised over here. The West Side has history. You have roots down here. You have a foundation of who you are.”Residents spent Saturday dealing with the immediate effects of the storm. Some cut up fallen trees, others cleared damaged homes, while families without electricity tried to stay cool.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
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