I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude as I tucked my babies into bed tonight. Our home has not been affected by the flooding, our belongings are dry, and I am putting my children to sleep in their own beds. This is not the case for so many people from areas surrounding us right now. It's unreal the amount of people they are packing into all the emergency shelters spread across dry parts of Houston. I have seen photos of cots lined up in gymnasiums, families setting up camp on air mattresses or even the floor. The unknown can be scary and a lot of these people will return to their homes to find they have lost literally everything. It is absolutely heart wrenching. I can't even fathom losing our home, how would I ever explain that to Lyla and Max. And imagine how all these young children must feel staying in a shelter among hundreds of people they've never met before. The entire experience would be so terrifying for them.
As for us, we are about 40 miles north of Houston where the flooding has been a lot less severe compared to other counties. There were several main roads near us that flooded over the weekend and creeks with high water, but they all drained fairly quickly. I feel very fortunate to live in a neighborhood that did not flood. The rain poured for five long days, but it was a test on my sanity more than anything. I didn't even know it was possible to stay at home for that many days in a row. The entire town was shut down, even gas stations and fast-food places were closed during the peak of it all. We enjoyed our time together though and the kids were definitely entertaining. By Sunday night I don't know if they were delirious or just really tapping into their imaginations, but they were hilarious. I love my family and the extra together time was a bit of silver lining as we waited for Harvey to pass.
My ears have been glued to the local news channel ever since the madness started. I watched as Harvey made it's way toward the coast, hitting Rockport and Corpus Christi. I naively thought the worst was over after the hurricane touched land, but little did I know the real problems were just beginning. I was skeptical, thinking "oh sure, the media just wants to hype it up like they do with everything." Then it kept raining...and raining...and then the flooding...and then the mandatory evacuations in some areas. I remember at one point I was watching, jaw dropped, everything happening on the TV and I felt so scared. I was scared for all of Houston. I couldn't sleep, just kept watching and watching. Mother nature is a bad bitch! She has no limitations! It was clear that a lot more rain was coming, but they didn't know exactly where it would hit the hardest. Brace yourselves, was the general warning. As people began abandoning their homes with nothing but a suitcase, I just felt helpless. In times like these I always remember the quote by Fred Rogers --- good ol' Mr. Rogers!
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me,
"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
And there were the helpers. Government workers from all outlets came to assist, even the National Guard, but that is something to expect during a flood expanding over an entire metropolitan. The remarkable thing was seeing ordinary people drive their big trucks and boats into the devastation to HELP. They willingly marked their arms in black sharpie with their names and social security numbers, then risked their lives through flooded streets searching for people in need of being rescued. I saw one couple who said they rescued over 70 dogs. There was another guy delivering Pizza Hut to people refusing to leave their homes. I saw so many hugs and so much appreciation. I mean....it was AMAZING. The rescues would never have been as successful without the helpers.
I have never in my life been so close to a natural disaster of this magnitude and I hope it's something I never experience in my lifetime again. We have lived in Texas for five years now and I still lean more towards Idaho being my one true home, but over the past few days I have felt proud to live in Texas. I truly think this is the first time my heart has belonged here. It has been remarkable watching the community come together to organize relief efforts for flood victims. I am amazed by the kindness and generosity of so many people. I visited one relief shelter today and the amount of donations they already collected was unbelievable. The rain has only eased up the last day or two, people have barely felt brave enough to venture the roads, but so many of these shelters are already bursting at the seams with everything you could possibly think of --- mattresses, bedding, pillows, towels, blankets, toiletries, baby items, clothing, shoes, pet food, kennels, canned goods, the list goes on and on. The grocery store couldn't keep bread on the shelves in the beginning, now they can't keep the diaper aisle stocked fast enough! This is all in just one day after the storm subsiding! People even thought about food and treats for the first responders, people who have been working 18+ hours straight get hungry too! I am proud, so proud as I witness these recovery efforts taking place.
Despite all the devastation Houston continues to face, the outpouring of love is phenomenal. I get tired of hearing about all the hate in our country, but there hasn't been any of that on my TV over the past few days. This has been about humans helping humans, without the drama of politics, racism, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. These flood victims will need support for days, weeks, even months to come. It's going to take a lot of time for everyone to recover. I am heading to a shelter tomorrow to help sort donations and my sweet Lyla girl offered to tag along with me. We've been watching this catastrophe unfold together and I think it's important she sees the helpers too. This goes for Max too of course, but it goes over his head a bit more than Lyla. There is so much work to do. Goodbye and good riddance, Hurricane Harvey.
Some of these pictures belong to me, some of them I collected from other sources.
I'm posting to remember.