--- description: Gallery Furniture, a Houston-based furniture store, is helping the thousands of displaced Texas residents that have nowhere to stay title: This Furniture Store Has Converted Into a Makeshift Shelter for Harvey Victims image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt044d12f47e0f41e9/6988db930a4a227ff69cfac2/harvey.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Texas](/tag/texas/) ## Texas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Furniture Store Has Converted Into a Makeshift Shelter for Harvey Victims by [Jennifer Calfas](/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2017 6:40 PM CUT  HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27: In this handout provided by the Army National Guard, Texas National Guardsmen rescue a resident by boat during flooding caused by Hurricane HarveyAugust 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Lt. Zachary West/Army National Guard via Getty Images) HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27: In this handout provided by the Army National Guard, Texas National Guardsmen rescue a resident by boat during flooding caused by Hurricane HarveyAugust 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Lt. Zachary West/Army National Guard via Getty Images)Handout—Getty Images by [Jennifer Calfas](/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2017 6:40 PM CUT A Houston furniture store is offering to help the thousands of displaced Texas residents that have nowhere to stay following the catastrophic flooding and dangerous conditions created by [Hurricane Harvey](http://time.com/4917530/hurricane-harvey-pictures/ "undefined"). Gallery Furniture, a Houston-based chain store, opened two of its locations — one north of downtown, and the other west of the city in Richmond, TX — to residents seeking shelter as the [historic tropical storm](http://time.com/4917205/hurricane-harvey-what-to-know/ "undefined") forced them out of their homes. In a post on Facebook on Sunday, the company announced it would have food, beds and restrooms available for anyone in need — including kenneled pets. The furniture store is also using its largest moving truck to help rescue people displaced by the floods, according to another Facebook post from the company. Gallery Furniture owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has long been known for his charitable actions, [according to the Houston _Chronicle_](http://www.chron.com/news/houston-weather/hurricaneharvey/article/Gallery-Furniture-opening-I-45-North-location-as-12018531.php "undefined"). “We hope to give them some comfort in this incredibly difficult time,” MacIngvale said in a statement to the _Chronicle_. McIngvale did not immediately respond to an interview request for TIME. A number of other venues have also opened as shelters in the area, including Houston’s George Brown Convention Center, which has 1.8 million square feet of space. And aside from local businesses, Americans from all over the country have been donating to various charities that are on the ground. You can find a list of the charities and how to donate [here.](http://time.com/money/4917667/how-to-help-hurricane-harvey-victims/?xid=homepage "undefined") About 30,000 people will seek shelter as a result of the disastrous flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said, [according to _Reuters_](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/28/fema-expects-more-than-450000-harvey-disaster-victims-to-file-for-assistance.html "undefined"). FEMA anticipates more than 450,000 people will ask for disaster assistance on top of the [thousands of people](http://time.com/4918613/hurricane-harvey-rescue-footage/?xid=homepage "undefined") that have already been [rescued](http://time.com/4918758/hurricane-harvey-houston-flooding-rescue/?xid=homepage "undefined") from their homes. Total rainfall could reach a historic high of 50 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4919017/gallery-furniture-houston-harvey-hurricane-shelter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4919017/gallery-furniture-houston-harvey-hurricane-shelter/"},"headline":"This Furniture Store Has Converted Into a Makeshift Shelter for Harvey Victims","datePublished":"2017-08-28T18:40:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T17:11:55.994Z","description":"It's also opening its doors to people with pets","url":"https://time.com/4919017/gallery-furniture-houston-harvey-hurricane-shelter/","keywords":["Texas","onetime","hurricane harvey"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt044d12f47e0f41e9/6988db930a4a227ff69cfac2/harvey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Calfas","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt044d12f47e0f41e9/6988db930a4a227ff69cfac2/harvey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Epic Flooding Inundates Houston After Hurricane Harvey","caption":"Epic Flooding Inundates Houston After Hurricane Harvey","creditText":"Handout—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/texas/","name":"Texas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4919017/gallery-furniture-houston-harvey-hurricane-shelter/","name":"This Furniture Store Has Converted Into a Makeshift Shelter for Harvey Victims"}}]}] ```