As the millions of people who call the greater Houston area home pick up from the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Ike, one company of some important to many Mac users is also slowly getting itself back on track--Houston-based Alsoft, makers of the popular DiskWarrior utility. The lights went on at the company's headquarters for the first time on Thursday, though there's still a tough row to hoe before everything's back to normal.

Alsoft's personnel are all in one piece following the disastrous storm, which blew through Texas on Sept. 13 after picking up speed in the Gulf of Mexico. Like much of the rest of Houston, Alsoft's employees are without power, though most have running water, according to Rusty Little, Alsoft engineering manager and DiskWarrior's project manager.

Alsoft took special precautions before the storm hit to move their offices and their equipment to a different part of the building they occupy, covering sensitive gear with plastic and keeping it as far away from possibly leaky windows and ceilings as they could. Little told Macworld that everything made it through for the most part. There's water damage in the building, and they're a bit away from being back up to capacity, though the lights are back on.

Little asks customers who have been trying to reach Alsoft for tech support or to find out the status of their orders to be patient with them a bit longer. The company anticipates being back up to full operations by the beginning of next week.

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