No doubt like many of you, I’ve been glued to a screen for the past few days, watching as Hurricane Harvey has let loose its wrath, and as flood waters continue to rise in Southeast Texas. With unprecedented amounts of rain predicted throughout the course of this week, like you, no doubt, my heart breaks for the victims of this extraordinary disaster.
I can only wish my friends in the area Godspeed, hope they are safe, hope that the many neighbors and strangers that we see reaching out to help will continue to do so.
The extensiveness of the devastation and the profound sense of loss are something most of us cannot imagine. What lies ahead for the estimated 450,000 people impacted is, to most of us, equally unimaginable.
I lay in bed during the night, remembering the dangerous storms that passed through my area just a few weeks back. At the time, I huddled on the lowest level of my rental, power out, hoping that tornados in the area wouldn’t touch down, and feeling completely isolated and so very small. If anything can remind us of our vulnerability and our common humanity, it’s the staggering forces of nature.
As I watched the news yesterday, I saw repeated examples of ordinary citizens helping with search and rescue, volunteers simply doing what most of us do naturally. Helping.
Politics are irrelevant. Skin color is irrelevant. Religious beliefs are irrelevant.
This is the beauty of America. At a time of exceptional division, I will focus my thoughts there. And on the rainfall letting up.
Here is the link to the American Red Cross to help Hurricane Harvey victims. It’s a good place to start if you aren’t in a position to do so in person. Here is an additional link on PublicGood.com specifically dealing with Harvey.
And to my friends in Texas, my heart is with you.
DITTO!
Hello from Corpus Christi: North Padre Island! ? I chose to get very prepared to hunker down in my interior bathroom inside my patio home with my two dogs at North Padre Island (for very specific personal reasons) as we were on voluntary evacuation. We are all safe and fine!
Our city officials coordinated with surrounding coastal communities / county’s officials in an exceptional organized manner to place mandatory evacuation in a slow area by area in a slow orderly fashion exactly where needed!
I want to thank those smart officials making those very hard tough calls. And more importantly, I want to thank all of the work force with orders of mandatory service at their jobs (leaving their families and homes for 3-4 days without relief). A special thank you to staff who all go unnoticed such as hospital, shelters refineries, fire and police.
Hurricane Harvey Help is still needed: see full details.
Austin Pets Alive! austinpetsalive.org
Currently only looking for fosters able to keep animals through adoption.
Dogs:
* Homes with no cat/no children/no additional dogs (for current TLAC dogs)
* UPDATE: We no longer have any small dogs or puppies, and we are nearly out of dog-friendly dogs! If your household can accept a large dog that needs to be an only pup at home, please e-mail foster @austinpetsalive.org.
I want to say thank you to D.A. for taking the time to check in with me and other Texans via email, even if it were simply to give me a little company.
Much appreciation!
TD ??
Update: Its been three weeks.
The FEMA lady just completed Verification of my documents and statement and took a photo of roof damage from the ground level and closet damage and laser measurements of house and photo of front the townhouse. In 7-10 days FEMA will contact me by mail any other instructions.
FEMA lady said I was doing all the right things.
So, it is just a wait to see if anything happens by my HOA insurance company or with FEMA. Or if I will need to do the repairs myself. I don’t know. Nothing I can do at this point. I’m glad I at least had the FEMA support person here at my home.
The prescription that my doc gave me seems to be helping me. Lots of anxiety!
I took my dog Charlie to the beach Friday morning for the first time since the hurricane. Hard to be it’s been 3 weeks. The beach was deserted which is eerie and I saw lots of building damage. It is quite strange here lately.
It’s hard to know what to do. There are thousands of displaced people all trying to figure out what to do. We talk and we share our individual stories. Those who stayed and why. Those who fled to family elsewhere and those to temp shelter. Which schools remain closed and enrollments to other schools as families, displaced, try to find some sort of new normal in unknown territory. It’s a day by day process.
Perfectly said!
With Harvey and now Irma, it renews my faith in humanity when I see the stories of heroes being raised up and neighbors helping neighbors…regardless of creed, color or political persuasion. Perhaps, just perhaps, we’re not as polarized as certain groups would like us to believe. Our daughter came through the backside of Irma in Jacksonville Beach and their neighborhood was out helping each other clean up before power was even restored. The rebuilding of the Caribbean now begins. And let’s not forget the devastation of the Pacific Northwest. They have a long road ahead of them as well. But, I’m confident the peoples of these areas, with help from all of us, will rise again stronger and with renewed faith in each other.
I agree with you, Lisa. (And lovely to hear from you.)
D.A.,
I have been dealing with Hurricane Harvey displaced rats that relocated under my AC pad! The stink ? ! Theses are the types of issues that people don’t think about that come post hurricanes. What a learning curve this has all been. I still have a displaced couple from Port Aransas living in the patio town home on south side of mine and another couple from Rockport living on the north side. Their homes are not yet live-able. The extent of theses types of natural disasters devastation is really unimaginable, unknown, until you have to walk through the steps of the one day after the other process. It’s been 2 1/2 months or ten weeks. Exhausting!
TD, It sounds horrible. All of it.
D.A.,
Yes, the horror, frustration, exhaustion and anger that builds over time of what truths unfold. These are not reported on national news, but recorded within the human souls. As far as repairs on my interior, I did it myself, and alone. As far as the debris clean up, I did it myself, and alone. I have not personally witnessed what Lisa describes. I am sure there are some kind humans that volunteer time, energy and money, no doubt.
As far as the damaged roof, that is not yet repaired; and if I were to hire out with my own money and management of repair the HOA could sue me for liability according to my insurance advisor, even though HOA insurance declined claim because damage is less than $7,000 deductible and FEMA declined claim as property is live-able.
In the mean time, I continue to anguish about possible roof water damage and black mold that is happening here. And this week, I have the discovery of rats rodent issue. Although my HOA monthly fee is suppose to manage this type of pest issue, I have not reported based on my experience with the roof and interior claim.
Instead, I have arranged for a live rat trapper from Houston (also has work in Port Aransas and Rockport with rat issues) to come onto my property on Tuesday to live trap rats on my property, remove them and disinfect the area. The odor yuck ? factor is unbearable for me. I have zero tolerance for the HOA management to “get around to it at their discretion.”
What would you do if you were me, D.A., or any one with thoughts of issue?