Hurricane Harvey ran through a large portion of Texas bringing in 47 inches of rain in some areas. Most of the residents experienced flooding and had to evacuate homes, leaving behind almost everything that they could not carry themselves. The flood waters were devastating. The storm led to the shutting down major highways, invading of homes, and putting Texas at a standstill.
After the storm’s first blow relief efforts for the Hurricane began immediately. Across all of Texas, stories of people being rescued from federal, state, and local police began to arise. More commonly, we saw Texans themselves coming to the aid of one another. Dozens of stories surfaced every minute, of Texans with boats and jet skis coming to the aid of each other. Bringing the evacuated on board and getting them to somewhere safe and dry shows the resilience of Texans
For example, in Beaumont Texas, a rescue boat out on patrol began to get swept away by aggressive current. Local Texans got a hold of the tow rope and pulled the boat away from the current. Volunteers alongside first responders helped evacuate the Gulf Health Care Center, a nursing home located in Port Arthur.
”Recovery will take months. The help and support of everyone either indirectly or directly involved has been great. We have all come together to help one another,” says Tim Homa, a local pastor, from Richmond.
Texas, as it stands now, is still recovering from destruction, but the Peak River in Richmond, Texas is now down from 59 feet to 56 feet of water.
Even as the storm seems to be slowing down, the relief efforts from Texas and its citizens are not backing down at all. This is a uphill battle but one Texas is ready to take on.
I strongly encourage prayer and donations to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, which you can find at ghct.org/hurricane-relief/.
Sources: Tim Homa, Geoff Simpson, USA Today
Lenora Kirkland 
Colin Tomczak 
Ella Curcuruto