Commendable work by local, state and federal officials and other people in saving lives in Texas, USA areas hit by Harvey flooding; May God bless them
Over the past few days, using the Internet from a rural town in India (Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh), I have followed media and social media reports on the work done by USA local, state (Texas) and federal officials as well as ordinary people volunteering as first responders, in saving lives and rescuing people who were trapped in flooded homes or caught up in the floods outside. I have been very impressed by the work these people have done so far. The wiki page on Harvey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Harvey, lists the dead in USA as 38. Perhaps that number will rise as more deaths get reported. While it is very sad that tens of people died, I think that the first responders and the back end support staff as well as the top level administrators (local, state and federal levels) must be commended in having kept the death casualties in the tens (reported so far) and not in the higher hundreds or even thousands.
We saw and read about so many rescues on boats, and even by helicopters! Media was also on the scene telling the rest of USA (and the world) about what's happening there. Social media allowed people who were trapped to reach out to others, as well as to report to the world about what was happening. First responders demonstrated bravery and dedication in saving people.
While the shelters for the rescued may be overcrowded to some extent, it seems to have been, and continues to be, under control (NOT like what happened with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana).
The "chemical reactions" or "pops" at Crosby near Houston at the Arkema plant which had raised great concerns about explosions and severe chemical pollution possibility seems to have been effectively managed by the fire dept., sheriff dept and Arkema officials.
Then there were also reports of looting and price gouging for essential items. I saw a video clip where one Texas official (Attorney General, if I recall correctly) talked frankly about it and said that they were dealing with it strictly. Those who encountered exorbitant prices for essentials like drinking water were advised to take pics of such sales/prices as evidence and send the pics (over social media or e-mail, I guess) to the police authorities! The penalty for such proven cases of price gouging was said to be in tens of thousands of dollars, if I recall correctly. So the nasty side of society like looting and price gouging that surfaces when regular life breaks down due to catastrophes like this, was also tackled.
While surely there would have been great concern and worry among the administrators involved like Texas governor, Houston mayor and the Federal Emergency (FEMA) chief, as the floods continued for 4 to 5 days in Houston and some other areas of Southeastern Texas, one did not see panic. They seem to have been focused and determined on their work.
Now the path ahead for those displaced by the floods is very tough. The rehabilitation challenge would be a very big one and involve a lot of BIG LEAGUE money. How the local, state and federal administrators handle that will be a great test for them, as well as a test for the displaced people themselves as they struggle to rebuild their lives. So I am not saying that the mission has been completed, in any way. People are talking of years of rehabilitation effort and hundreds of billions of dollars that would be needed as aid.
However, the immediate task in such catastrophes is saving the lives of people who are trapped in flooded homes and areas. That immediate task seems to have drawn to a close in Texas. So I think it is fair to share my view on how the immediate task seems to have been done.
In my view which is based on Internet media and social media reports, all the people involved in these life saving and related help for the flood victims of Harvey in Texas have done a great job collectively, and need to be highly commended. May God bless these people from local, state and federal agencies, their administrators including USA presidential administration involved in this effort, as well as other volunteers who helped in this effort, for the good that they have done.
We saw and read about so many rescues on boats, and even by helicopters! Media was also on the scene telling the rest of USA (and the world) about what's happening there. Social media allowed people who were trapped to reach out to others, as well as to report to the world about what was happening. First responders demonstrated bravery and dedication in saving people.
While the shelters for the rescued may be overcrowded to some extent, it seems to have been, and continues to be, under control (NOT like what happened with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana).
The "chemical reactions" or "pops" at Crosby near Houston at the Arkema plant which had raised great concerns about explosions and severe chemical pollution possibility seems to have been effectively managed by the fire dept., sheriff dept and Arkema officials.
Then there were also reports of looting and price gouging for essential items. I saw a video clip where one Texas official (Attorney General, if I recall correctly) talked frankly about it and said that they were dealing with it strictly. Those who encountered exorbitant prices for essentials like drinking water were advised to take pics of such sales/prices as evidence and send the pics (over social media or e-mail, I guess) to the police authorities! The penalty for such proven cases of price gouging was said to be in tens of thousands of dollars, if I recall correctly. So the nasty side of society like looting and price gouging that surfaces when regular life breaks down due to catastrophes like this, was also tackled.
While surely there would have been great concern and worry among the administrators involved like Texas governor, Houston mayor and the Federal Emergency (FEMA) chief, as the floods continued for 4 to 5 days in Houston and some other areas of Southeastern Texas, one did not see panic. They seem to have been focused and determined on their work.
Now the path ahead for those displaced by the floods is very tough. The rehabilitation challenge would be a very big one and involve a lot of BIG LEAGUE money. How the local, state and federal administrators handle that will be a great test for them, as well as a test for the displaced people themselves as they struggle to rebuild their lives. So I am not saying that the mission has been completed, in any way. People are talking of years of rehabilitation effort and hundreds of billions of dollars that would be needed as aid.
However, the immediate task in such catastrophes is saving the lives of people who are trapped in flooded homes and areas. That immediate task seems to have drawn to a close in Texas. So I think it is fair to share my view on how the immediate task seems to have been done.
In my view which is based on Internet media and social media reports, all the people involved in these life saving and related help for the flood victims of Harvey in Texas have done a great job collectively, and need to be highly commended. May God bless these people from local, state and federal agencies, their administrators including USA presidential administration involved in this effort, as well as other volunteers who helped in this effort, for the good that they have done.
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