The Patriot Post® · Scenes From Houston

The devastation in Houston is astounding, and most Americans are riveted and appalled by the damage, chaos and death created by the storm that’s just parked over Texas and Louisiana. There are stories of failed leadership, of course — poor planning regarding developments and reservoirs and the like — but there are also stories of bravery, rescue and provision. It’s heartening to see some of the best of humanity exhibited by our fellow Americans at a time when divisiveness is the typical story of the day.

Law enforcement has taken the lead in doing what’s necessary to help people reach safety from flood zones. Citizens are helping the officers too, providing food and water as they perform rescues. Additionally, FEMA, the Texas government and big organizations like Red Cross are playing a critical role. But one aspect that jumps out to us is how many residents are helping themselves and those around them, without waiting on the government and without regard for race or creed. One of the officers on duty, Jocelyn George, said, “These are residents taking action on their own. It is very typical of the area. I have been here for 13 years, and every time we have had an issue, the residents step up and they try to take care of themselves.”

This was on display when a small group of men simply gathered trucks and boats to help evacuate people. Another group exists almost solely for that purpose — the Cajun Navy, a private Louisiana organization specializing in boat rescues of people trapped by floodwaters. Three of its members resuscitated a 73-year-old woman in the midst of the flood. “We’re all sportsmen around here,” said the Cajun Navy’s John Bridgers. “Pretty much every other person has a boat. So we got going.” That’s the American spirit at its best.

A final note: Hurricane Harvey is “unprecedented” in its incredibly slow speed, but not necessarily in the rain it’s dropped. The storm’s intensity — it was Category 4 at landfall — isn’t unprecedented either. Dr. Roy Spencer, a former NASA scientist and climatologist, writes, “The U.S. has had only four Category 4 (or stronger) hurricane strikes since 1970, but in about the same number of years preceding 1970 there were 14 strikes. So we can’t say that we are experiencing more intense hurricanes in recent decades. Going back even earlier, a Category 4 hurricane struck Galveston in 1900, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people. That was the greatest natural disaster in U.S. history. And don’t forget, we just went through an unprecedented length of time — almost 12 years — without a major hurricane (Cat 3 or stronger) making landfall in the U.S.”

In short, disasters are indeed horrible, and Harvey is a particularly bad one. But don’t buy the hype of those selling climate change alarmism via “nature hikes through the book of Revelation” and so forth. Mankind never has been able to tame nature entirely. But we can help each other cope.