Hurricane Harvey has been devastating Texas and Louisiana since it hit on Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane. The hurricane has caused a lot of destruction in Houston, Texas causing concern on a federal level. The response to Hurricane Harvey has had positive impacts on the areas affected. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), local officials, state officials and citizens have been providing significant help by donating time, money, food, drinks and supplies to Houston.

“What past federal hurricane aid tells us about money for Harvey recovery is that the lowest current estimates [of damage] fall in the $40 to $50 billion range,” said Ryan Struyk writer for CNN.

According to Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, help from the state was just as significant as the response on a federal level.

The amount of government and state officials involved in this disaster is the kind of response that is needed because the amount of people affected by the storm is large. The people affected need all the help they can possibly get.

“More than 21,000 federal staff are deployed in support of Tropical Storm Harvey response,” FEMA said in a release of statistics. “The top priority remains protecting lives and the safety of those in affected areas.”

Government spending on FEMA along with state government, local government agencies and donations from organizations has impacted the community in Houston and other areas.

Vic VonBerg who is a California Lutheran University student from Houston said in a phone interview, “Houston has a lot of pride” and is an “intense community.” She said, “People from nearby cities are coming to help by using boats to help rescue people. They are doing the best they can.”

The help of neighboring cities to Houston residents is appreciated, but on the other side, there is desperation in response to the disaster.

According to VonBerg, people are stealing supplies and food in desperation. Some families have lost everything from the flooding. The stealing shows that the effects of the hurricane do not just stop at the cost of damages. Stealing is creating more problems, which is making matters worse.

The initial response to the disaster was the correct response. It is not over and there is much more to do even though the storm has passed. Now comes the work of recovering what was lost by those affected. For some people that means rebuilding houses and getting new cars. There is now a need for people to help with the damages Hurricane Harvey inflicted.

We should be helping out in any way that we can to make the people affected more comfortable and help better their current situations. In California, we may not be able to drive a boat to Texas or Louisiana to help but there are many other ways we can. If you have any supplies that might help, look into a local emergency relief organization such as the American Red Cross. Find a relief organization and donate because it would really help out the people who are personally affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Jack Hoy
Reporter