Written the week of August 28, 2017
Going through the effects of Hurricane Harvey has been an emotionally draining experience. It was rather surreal to begin with because the weather was so nice. Then it started to rain. And rain. And rain. It wasn’t like a hurricane because we didn’t get the wind like they did where it made landfall. Instead, it would rain. And rain. And rain. For three days it rained. Weather forecasters didn’t know what to predict so predictions kept changing. And then they would see and learn more and predictions kept getting worse and worse. Flooding started and kept getting worse and worse. Rainfall totals hit record highs and so did flood depths. People who should have been safe were not, even outside the 500-year floodplain. You feel helpless and at the mercy of something you cannot control in any way. I had to take opportunities do something, anything that would help somebody. I wandered around the house in somewhat of a daze most of the time needing a break from social media and bad news. It was hard to think clearly and it was easy to get distracted from the task at hand. I would lose track of what day of the week it was. It felt like shock and it felt like depression.
The weather radio warnings came frequently and often on top of each other – flash flood warnings, tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings and more flash floods and tornados. I finally had to turn off the radio to get some sleep hoping I would wake up if the weather became dangerous in my immediate area.
We would group text our two daughters who lived with their families in different parts of the city to keep aware of their status, one being in a much more dangerous area than the other. Knowing even a little kept us from worrying and wondering what was happening to them all the time. Being without that ability to get information would have been so much more difficult emotionally.
We went to bed Monday night (August 28) expecting another day of rain and rising creeks and bayous and fearing the disaster that morning light would reveal. Instead, we woke to light rain and receding waters 24 hours earlier than predicted. There were tears of joy as we could see the beginning of the end. It was miraculous. The prayers of many had been answered. God was watching over us and had calmed the storm. We still received 4 inches of rain that day, but we saw the sun again that afternoon and it brought hope.
I still can’t stay on social media very long. There are lots of good, hopeful stories of kindnesses, tender mercies, and miracles but there are still the photos and posts of the devastation, severe difficulties, and tragedy of this storm. I often find myself in tears, but then I remember that progress is being made in recovery and that even though it will take a long time due to the massive area Harvey affected, we will rise above it and be stronger and better people. Texans have shown who they are and I’m proud to be a Texan.
