Hurricane Harvey hit hard as Hurricane Irma looms in the Atlantic

BY NOAH CASTAGNA

Category 4 Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the mainland United States on Friday, August 25, bringing with it a wave of flooding and destruction that rocked the nation to its core. As of the writing of this article, there are 50 confirmed deaths and a projected economic loss ranging from $81 to $108 billion.

President Donald Trump met with his cabinet August 27 to discuss the storm and has stayed in contact with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, having pledged national disaster relief during the preparation for impact. Over 8,800 federal staff members have been dispatched to Texas and Louisiana, bringing with them millions of meals and liters of water as well as critical supplies like generators.

Coverage of the storm puts the 48-inch rainfall and overwhelming catastrophe into perspective – the media has broadcasted images and videos of families standing atop the rooftop of homes swallowed by water, civilians zipping around in boats trying to help where they can and cars submerged in place along Houston streets.

Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has stressed the importance of wariness and cooperation between all levels of intervention through the storm and in its aftermath.

“Emergency management is about partnership,” Long said in a statement on Sunday. “Our priorities are supporting states with search and rescue, mass care, disaster medical services, temporary power and life sustaining commodities.”

The relief efforts have not been undertaken without controversy, however. Early footage showing a civilian mounting rescues with a boat sporting the Confederate flag has roused discourse, online scams have targeted those trying to support relief efforts and primetime preacher Joel Osteen felt the heat after he kept his Lakewood megachurch closed to civilian housing (due to internal damage and flooding) until coming under fire.

“Our hearts break as we see the damage and destruction in our city,” Osteen put out on Monday. “Lakewood’s doors are open and we are receiving anyone who needs shelter.”

But ultimately the general consensus of the nation walking away from Hurricane Harvey seems to be that the American spirit is strong; Americans of all creeds have come together to help Texas through the enduring crisis, be it in the civilians trying to save as many people as they can in their personal boats, be it in the hearts of those reaching out with emotional or financial support or be it in the outpouring of emergency relief by all levels of government.

“Thank you to all of the great volunteers helping out with Hurricane Harvey relief in Texas,” President Trump tweeted out on Sunday. “[The] spirit of the people is incredible.”

In the aftermath of Harvey, another storm looms on the horizon that could directly affect South Florida; Hurricane Irma is projected to barrel through the Caribbean and potentially impact the mainland United States late into the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center. Though as of Monday its path had not been confirmed, Floridians have been encouraged to prepare for the worst.

“Disaster preparedness should be a priority for every Florida resident,” Florida Governor Rick Scott tweeted out on Sunday.

Through the course of Labor Day weekend, Hurricane Irma has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm after lingering at a strong Category 3, and Governor Rick Scott has officially declared a state of emergency due to most projections predicting impact on the US coast.

For more information on how to assist the recovery efforts, visit https://txvoad.communityos.org/cms/node/104 for a list of FEMA-approved organizations to donate to or volunteer for.

Photo by Ryan Sullivan