Witness the devastation, caused by Storm Harvey, in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Allison- June 5, 2001 Hurricane Rita- September 23, 2005 Hurricane Ike- September 13, 2008 Hurricane Harvey- August 25, 2017 Sunday: We have lived in this home since 1998; almost every memory that I have of growing up is in this house. Several of our family pets even find their resting place in our back yard. My parents have worked tirelessly for years to slowly build up this house, making it into their dream home. However, last night, my parents and I spent the evening hours preparing for the worst. As water proceeded to inch higher and higher up our driveway, we stacked photo albums on high shelves and put plastic tables out in order to raise up wooden furniture. Heirlooms and things that hold more memories, we placed on the second floor of our two story home. Though we did what we could to prepare, we pray that our house does not flood because we do not have flood insurance. Right now, it is about four o’clock in the morning and I am sitting on guard to watch the rising level of water that is now about four feet from the sidewalk outside of our front door. My parents and I are taking shifts so that the rising water does not take us by surprise. Though most of our preparations took place last night, we have waited to move certain things until the water gets to a certain point. It is still raining off and on. Though it has stopped for a little while, I still get up to check the water levels every half hour or so, because we cannot be sure that the water will not keep rising due to incoming water from other areas. The devastation is widespread. Not only is there flooding throughout Harris county and surrounding areas, but tornado warnings are becoming nearly constant and the damage inflicted by those that touch down is devastating. People continue to post videos and pictures of the water covering various items that are normally far above ground level, such as street lights and bridges. There is similar video circulating of the roofs of cars barely visible over the top of the water. Other images show water anywhere from knee level to chest level on grown men. Some posts even serve as desperate pleas asking others not to drive through the street, unless absolutely necessary, because more water is pushed into the houses as vehicles come through. As more water surges into these homes, current news reports witness furniture beginning to float in the rising water. Trying to avoid the wet furniture, children are depicted sleeping on kitchen cabinets and roofs. Some pictures likewise show very young children in rescue boats in the middle of the water and moving into shelters. Moved by these images, celebrities are uploading tweets and videos in support of those affected (Please donate to the Houston Flood Relief Fund established by JJ Watt, Houston Texan). The new awareness has led to fundraisers as well as temporary shelters. Places like Gallery Furniture and local churches have opened their doors to refugees because of the overwhelming demand for shelter that is accessible despite major road blocks. Although some side streets are open to travel, a lot of intersections remain impassable because of high water. Some people need rescue from their homes, and some hospitals are reportedly unable to evacuate patients, because they are unable to get out. The coast guard works into the night to save trapped people, while Good Samaritans also offer aid to their neighbors via personal boats, canoes, kayaks, high rise vehicles, and able bodies. It is now Sunday and the forecast projects the rain lasting until all the way to next weekend possibly. News estimates that some houses will have water in them for months as the water takes even longer to recede. There is heartbreak as some homeowners experience repeat flooding after having just finished repairs from the flood that took place about a year ago. Homes that have reportedly never experienced flooding are now in standing water. Rescue workers are asking people to stay safe in their homes if possible, while others have little choice but to brave the current weather conditions in order to get to higher ground. Engineers have decided that it is necessary to slowly release water from the nearby dams so that there are no uncontrollable problems, or malfunction, from quickly rising water. Those living closest to the dams are being evacuated as these releases are projected to flood the neighborhoods that back up the accumulated water. Similar evacuations started near the coast and are slowly being spread to other counties. For the last two days, we have spent a good amount of time watching weather channels to see the forecast projections. As Tropical Storm Harvey grew in strength, we watched the bands of rain close in on our area. As the storm progressed, we texted family and friends to check in; various reports of need are coming in. We have loved ones in need of help, and now there is no way for us to get to them, so we pray and hope that others will be able to reach them. We continue to check Facebook posts in hopes that we will hear good news from those we know. Worried friends and family are calling from other parts of the United States to make sure that we are still safe. My father, a trained Community Emergency Response Team member, spent yesterday venturing outside to check on rising water levels and trying to help those in the neighborhood that were already experiencing flooding in their homes. The water is still rising in the streets visible from our home and cones that were placed in the street to block drivers from going too far into the standing water are now covered. As of tonight, the water is so high that we are no longer able to get around without some type of flotation device. People in kayaks traveled up and down our street over the tops of front yards, while an air boat visited the neighborhood to rescue people from their homes. These rescues by strangers only add to my level of gratitude during this event. I am thankful for many things including the fact that I got some extra sleep, during the day yesterday, so that I can stay up now to watch water levels as my parents sleep. I am thankful that our house is currently higher than the water, and we have been blessed to still have electricity and air conditioning during a time when so many others have lost power from the storm or been forced to flip their breakers because of flooding inside their homes. I am thankful that we have access to clean food food and water. I am thankful that I am here with my family and not alone like many that I have heard about. I am thankful that most of my family lives outside the major damage zones. I am thankful that my sister and her family recently moved to another state and are no longer living in Corpus Christi where mandatory evacuation first began. I am thankful that family and friends continue to check in with updates of safety. I am thankful that my faith has stayed strong despite devastating news from so much of Southeast Texas. I am thankful that we can see neighbors coming together to help each other, whilst other ares of the United States are reporting terrible chaos and fighting among various groups. Honestly, I am thankful for so much that I can hardly list them all. However, as I sit here grateful for so many blessings, I am also struck by the feeling of helplessness in watching others that are suffering. I want to help in any way that I can; however, we are now stuck in a house surrounded by rising water. We can no longer drive through the street, so reaching loved ones in other neighborhoods is nearly impossible without a boat. We can trudge through the water in the streets, but it is difficult to get very far. The waters move fast, making it harder to get through to others. I would like to volunteer at a nearby shelter or hospital, but I have no way to reach these places. Furthermore, neighbors are calling with stories of flooding in their one story homes, and we have few options to help them get out. In fact, one neighbor remarked that her pets are so scared to go outside that they had accidents inside her house. Some of our elderly neighbors also refuse to leave their flooding houses, even though aid has been offered, because they simply want to “go on their own terms” rather than leave their cherished homes behind. ... When I look out our front windows, I can see neighbor’s cars partly submerged in water. It is clear that water is inching toward the doors of houses across the street. We are on the corner of an intersection and water is nearly touching the corner of the house. Trees in the middle of our front yard are now completely surrounded by water. Water has risen so far up our steep driveway that the cars parked inches from our garage door are now sitting in water. Though we have been through at least three really bad Tropical Storms and/or Hurricanes since building our house in 1998, water has reached reached a new level during this storm. Monday: Monday was interesting to say the least. Adrenaline soared high as we spent the day doing what we could to help neighbors, while the water continued rising. The rescue teams tied a rope across two trees, on either side of the intersection, to help people cross the swift current. Those with boats traveled door to door to offer escape and aid to those trapped by the standing water. Then, neighbors opened up their homes to fellow neighbors so that people escaping their own homes could take refuge and dry off until the boats could take them to their next destination. As one family stayed with us, I was wracked with empathy. Their three year old boy was brought inside in a giant orange plastic bucket. He had floated down the streets in this bucket in an attempt to keep him dry and out of the contaminated water. Once inside the house, he was a welcome sight as his child’s perspective lightened our hearts. Undaunted by the event, he was eager to play with Legos and get a snack. His sweet smiles melted my heart! His family, mostly adults, were too devastated and nervous to eat. Perhaps they were in shock. I listened as they related their tale. They mentioned having to climb over a neighbor’s back fence because it was their only way out of their house and not only had their house in this neighborhood experienced flooding, but they also worried they had lost the home that they were currently building in Richmond, Texas. Richmond was also hit by the storm and experienced a great amount of flooding itself. The adults hardly moved from the front windows as they peered into the waters that they had recently fled. While the man with them kindly retreated back into the waters to help others, the women looked on with worried expressions and indecision. They had to choose whether to wait for the rescue boats or to meet the rest of their family on the other side of the water; this meant once again wading through the current with their little one in tow. Eventually, we wished them well and prayed as they made the decision to venture out once more. We watched as they trudged down the street to safety. After a only a short reprieve, they had once again soaked their dry change of clothes. After this, Dad returned home reporting that all those who wanted help had received rescues. There was nothing more that we could do until the water receded, so we burrowed in bed together to watch the news. I cannot tell you how blessed I felt, in those moments, to enjoy the comforts of a dry home. We snuggled under warm blankets, laid our heads to rest on soft pillows, felt the comfort of a good bed to ease our muscle aches, ate a hot meal, drank clean water, and felt as guilty as could be. For while we had all of these blessings, there were so many others that did not. Trapped by the water ourselves, there was little that we could do to share what we had with others. Hurting for those around us, we went to bed hoping that the rain would stop and the waters would finally recede. Tuesday: What a beautiful sight! We arose Tuesday to a great blessing. The water was actively receding. With hope in our hearts, we checked regularly to see the water getting further and further down the driveway.
By late afternoon or early evening, I walked by the window to see one of the most beautiful things that I have seen in about a week. The sun’s reflection was shining brightly off of the surface of the water in the street! We rejoiced as neighbors gathered outside to celebrate the much needed hope brought on by the sun’s appearance after such a gloomy event. To be continued …. Blessings, Danielle
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May 2021
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