Not Your Average Storm

Many news teams are covering this crazy weather that is becoming uncomfortably more common; with 110 mph winds, this category 4 storm hit Texas on August 25, 2017 and left one third of Houston underwater by September 1. That’s right, we’re talking about Hurricane Harvey. 

A hurricane, by dictionary definition is “a storm of the most intense severity”. We know this to be true after seeing what this tropical storm did. Homes, buildings, and telephone poles were destroyed. The death toll was reported to be about 82 and still 3,900 homes are without power, says Washington Post. Only about 40 percent of the buildings estimated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to have been flooded in Harris County, Tex., are in areas considered to be “of minimal flood hazard.”

Some areas were evacuated before the storm hit, but in Houston, authorities decided that trying to evacuate over 4 million people would just cause more chaos. Instead, Texans prepared for the storm by hitting the stores and stocking up on essentials such as bottled water and first aid. 

So many people have helped already in trying to put back together the broken pieces of the damaged areas. Organizations such as the Red Cross, really make a difference in places with disasters such as this. They’ve distributed $46.4 million to 116,000 people in efforts to help as well as offering their time to help repair damages and aid the injured. Even news reporters were seen helping the elderly to safety after their homes and places of residence were flooded.

Groups and organizations are providing shelter for those who don’t have it and supplies to those who need it. Although the loss of human life and the trauma from such a powerful storm are permanent, there is much that is being done to help the citizens who suffered from and lived through this event, showing that times like these truly do bring out the best in people. 

Picture Credit: SNO