HCSS Home Clearing Efforts Save Residents Millions of Dollars & Fundraising Efforts Raise Over $120,000

SUGAR LAND, Texas (September 11, 2017) – After Hurricane Harvey dropped 33 trillion gallons of water on Texas, HCSS, a construction software company located in Sugar Land and known for its 24/7 instant customer support, was one of the first companies to mobilize and implement plans to assist residents to clean out flood damaged materials from their homes and raise funds to help employees rebuild. 

“We prepared as much as possible to continue business operations, but we never anticipated receiving nearly 50 inches of rainfall within a couple of days and 20 of our employees’ homes flooded by Harvey,” said Mike Rydin, HCSS founder and CEO. With most of greater Houston underwater, most employees were not able to get to the office, so employees worked remotely.  “We fielded over 800 support calls from our homes during and immediately following the hurricane. One of our support team members took calls from his in-laws’ dining room, but we were able to continue to meet the customer’s needs.”

In addition to those with flooded homes, nearly 10 percent of HCSS employees were evacuated to other locations. Michael Bordelon, HCSS’s vice president of research and development, evacuated to Dallas during the hurricane and noticed that there were plenty of supplies for immediate needs, but there was an evident lacking of materials for home post-flood cleaning and drying efforts before rebuilding could begin.

Bordelon, along with another HCSS employee also evacuated to Dallas, filled up a 26-ft rented truck with cleaning supplies before heading back to Houston. “HCSS donated $22,000 in hard dollars to help buy the bleach, generators, shovels, box fans, brooms, crowbars and other supplies needed for home restoration efforts,” says Bordelon. “We are very appreciative to The Home Depot for working with us on the cost of the materials.”

HCSS also partnered with Strake Jesuit College Preparatory School in Houston to organize student, HCSS employee and community member volunteers to go out into Fort Bend County to clear flood-damaged carpet, padding, drywall, insulation and furniture and dry and sanitize the structure in preparation for rebuilding. Over the Labor Day Holiday weekend, more than 600 volunteers in groups of 10-20 cleared out over 100 homes in Fort Bend County. 

For more information, visit HCSS.