Approaching Harvey
Described as a “1000-year flood,” Hurricane Harvey recently devastated the Texas coast. 27 trillion gallons of rain fell over Texas and Louisiana, creating floods at historic levels. This Category 4 hurricane caused dangerous explosions at a chemical plant, and FEMA alone is housing over 32,000 displaced people in its shelters. The death toll is at 46, with that number expected to increase, and the estimated loss is a staggering $75 billion. These numbers are chilling. As people gradually leave hurricane evacuation shelters, they may find that they have lost everything in this unprecedented natural disaster. At this time, we should be figuring out what the best ways are to most effectively aid victims of Hurricane Harvey.
We should not rush to politicize the natural disaster. The mudslinging has already begun, with people on both sides of the political spectrum criticizing the opposite side or using the disaster to further their own stance. The spotlight also seems invariably to fall on the president’s response, whether it was right or wrong, how much money a senator donated, how they should or shouldn’t have donated that amount of money. With such an intense focus on politics, we forget who and what we’re arguing for. There is a time and a place for political criticism, but there should not be any partisanship in immediate disaster relief. Let us focus on telling the stories of the people affected by the hurricane and finding legitimate ways to help them. These are real people with real lives, not just nameless faces on television screens. Political division will only delay aid for victims.
In an age when terrorist attacks, natural disasters and awful events in general seem to appear in the news daily, we shouldn’t let the familiarity of tragedy numb us from feeling for the victims. A decade after Hurricane Katrina, areas in Louisiana continue to suffer from Katrina-related repercussions such as sinkholes, damaged roads and other infrastructure problems. The consequences of natural disasters as strong as Harvey and Katrina are immense and will take a long time, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars, to repair. We should be approaching relief as a long-term project instead of just donating money and then forgetting about it.
It may be a better idea to donate to trusted local charities rather than bigger ones like the Red Cross, which has been plagued by one scandal after another. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, approximately $500 billion were donated to the Red Cross. However, only six permanent homes were built in Haiti with the money, and $124 million went towards the Red Cross’ internal spending. When asked about how money for Hurricane Sandy was spent, a spokesperson claimed it was a “trade secret.” A Red Cross executive also could not respond when asked if a large chunk of the donations went to administrative costs instead of relief. Charities such as the Salvation Army have faced similar accusations. In order to ensure that money is going directly to where it needs to be, we should do our research on the charities that we’re giving to. According to houstonpublicmedia.org, reliable charities that are helping victims of Harvey include the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund created by Houston’s mayor and the Houston Food Bank.
As we move on with our lives, we need to remember who we’re leaving behind. The lives of people will continue to be affected by this event for months and years to come. Let us learn from our past mistakes with aid so that we can be more prepared for the unavoidable and better help the victims. We cannot let this be yet another forgotten disaster.