What I Have Learned From an Epic Flood

Post-Harvey Reflections from a Houston Resident

As a Houston resident, I have endured hurricanes and floods before. But I have never seen anything like Harvey hitting the greater Houston region. Here are some things that I have learned:

1. As we know, people stock up supplies before the storm. Water and bread go fast when preparing.

2. Frozen pizza, ice cream, pasta, and meats sell out AFTER the storm.

3. Social media is a fantastic communication tool. From identifying people who need rescuing from their flood savaged home to sharing disaster information, Facebook and Twitter are more than just “what I ate for breakfast.”

4. I have been on several group texts over the past week. Those texts have been my life lines. Being in constant communication with friends down the street was comforting and helpful. We shared bits of information or potential plans to evacuate, but most of the time we shared our fear. I love my friends even more now. They carried me.

5. Heroes really are walking around in every day clothes. It is hard to identify the Supermen and Superwomen in their street clothes, but hundreds of courageous people generously volunteered their time, boats, and man power to pull people out from uncertain waters with live electric wires, snakes, bacteria, swift currents, and sewage back up. No one thought, “Well, this is pretty dangerous.” They just jumped in.

6. Heroes drive cars, too. Other amazing people, complete strangers, were offering rides from the point of rescue to shelters. Those rescued have no car or transportation, of course. Rescue boats and helicopters took flood victims to the front of their neighborhood, or a dry spot, but from there, where does one go without a car, without public transportation? These are the terrible realities of an epic flood.

7. If my fellow Houstonians weren’t flooded in, they were helping. This is not an exaggeration. Hundreds of people have helped collect supplies for shelters, sorted clothes, played with evacuated children, and assisted rescued pets. Many people who have lost everything and were rescued themselves, would then turn around and start rescuing others. Houstonians are nothing short of awe-inspiring and generous.

8. People are resilient and strong. We are survivors. The positive attitudes from friends and strangers alike have been extraordinary.

9. The worst imaginable reality with flood waters is worse than I could have imagined. Pictures do not do it justice. Epic flooding has no words to describe it.

10. For once, the news has not over-hyped the disaster.

11. The sound of helicopters has become normal.

12. Not all TV stations are created equal. Channel 2 NBC Houston is incredible, to say the least. I have watched them for days straight, all night, every day. Their meteorologists are true professionals and their coverage was essential to our days. Their faces and dialogue on air kept me from feeling so isolated during the infinite rain and unpredictability of pretty much everything.

13. Just because rain finally stops and the sun comes out, the danger of flooding is not always over. Due to rising rivers and controlled releases of reservoirs, hundreds have flooded, even after the storm had moved on.

14. The Harris County Flood Control District has done a tremendous job in keeping Houstonians updated for days on a frightening situation. The chief spokesperson, Jeff Linder, has become a local hero. For many of us who had not heard of HCFCD before, we are all appreciative of their services.

15. This hurricane/tropical storm/flood has been exhausting. Living in constant uncertainty for days makes one crazy.

16. It doesn’t matter who we vote for or what our beliefs are, when someone needs help, we help. Houstonians have truly banded together and held each other up.

17. There could be more rain next week. I can’t even imagine.