Catastrophic. A landmark event. Crippling. Unprecedented. Devastating.
These are the words being used to describe Hurricane Harvey which is still battering the U.S. and terrorizing it’s residents.
They sound very similar to the language used to describe the wildfire situation in our area and around British Columbia. It’s safe to say their dire situation is something we can all relate to a little more personally after what we’ve been through this summer.
In the instance of Texas, there were some citizens stocking up on survival items and evacuating just before the storm, but for the most part the state and it’s residents seemed to be caught entirely off guard.
The mayor of Houston is being heavily criticized for not calling for the evacuation of America’s fourth largest city. At press time, he was standing firm on his decision not to evacuate, saying “you can’t evacuate 6.5 million people.”
One could argue, however, that it is likely still easier to evacuate and rescue people and animals while there is not several feet of water in the streets to contend with, which is currently the case. Emergency call centers are receiving upwards of 1,000 calls for rescue per hour. Residents from near and far have rushed to help each other as government agencies tasked to respond to such emergencies are overwhelmed. Sound familiar?
Hurricane Harvey hit landfall with winds of more than 90 mph early Saturday, Aug. 26. City streets were turned into rivers as more than 50 inches of rain has fallen in parts of Texas. And it’s not over yet.
Hurricane Harvey is gathering strength and threatening to make landfall again sometime this week.
As we watch from afar, with our own devastation still close in our hearts and minds, we have empathy for the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
– Williams Lake Tribune