Snappy's reopens in Katy after historic flood

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Two weeks after historic flooding in Katy, the city is finally snapping back. That’s because the town’s favorite institution has reopened.

“We live in Waller and we come out here just to eat,” said Franklin Hector, who just sat at a table at Snappy’s to have lunch with his wife. The couple drove into Katy last week for lunch but had to keep driving.

The 16” of rain that fell overnight April 17th, shut Snappy’s down. Trying to snap back open, down just didn't work.

“We opened for a couple of days,” said Snappy’s co-owner Alex Tsounakas. “But 2 or 3 days later the walls started buckling up, and the floor wasn't looking right.”

Snappy’s restaurant needed all new flooring and walls. All of the equipment had to be reinstalled. Some regular customers helped with the renovations to keep the restaurant’s down time to a minimum. Others, who eat at Snappy’s 5 times per week, that they will admit to, had to figure something else out.

“I tell you what,” said Katy’s popular Mayor, Fabol Hughes, “It had people upside down here.”

Hughes doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s a regular at Snappy’s too.

“I had withdrawal pains. Everybody did!” Hughes said laughing.

Snappy's is home cooking at its best, open now in the heart of Katy for 14 years. It’s not fancy. It's just good. And it's a friendly meeting place as well.

Mayor Hughes says the city waved permit fees for people who need to rebuild because of the flooding disaster.  He’s happy to say that most of Katy’s 25 businesses that were flooded, have reopened.  But the homes, including his own, are still drying out.

“We have over 4,000 residencies [in Katy],” Hughes says. “When you have about 100 flooded it's not that many percentage wise, but those that did flood were pretty severe.”

Hughes says it's traumatic trying to recover from the flood, but having Snappy's back is a stabilizing factor.

One gentleman stopped to chat as he was walking out of Snappy’s.  He said, “I’ve told you in the past that we couldn't do without Snappys and this ought to prove it!