Living in the other part of Texas

For many of us living in North Texas, it’s easy to feel irrelevant these days. The nation’s attention, indeed the world’s attention, is rightfully focused on the monumental tragedy unfolding in southeast Texas—loss of life, devastation of entire towns, a disastrous economic future for an area heavy reliant on tourism, irreparable damage to the infrastructure. Most of us in North Texas have now convinced family and friends that we are not in danger, that Houston is a long way from the Metroplex. So we sit, watch TV, wring our hands, and wonder what we can do.

Donations are welcome by more agencies than we can count. Probably most are legitimate, but there are scams by people willing to turn a tragedy to their own personal profit. Pretty scary. We’re safe to go with the “biggies”—the Red Cross or the Salvation Army, but I am leery of what percentage of donations to the first actually go to help victims and, with the second, can you earmark the money for Houston? There are parts of the work of the Salvation Army I don’t particularly want to support.

Personally, I’m thinking of a donation to an animal rescue agency. One of the most pitiful pictures I saw was a dog that had been chained to a tree, ostensibly so it wouldn’t wander away. Only its head was above water and, given the steady rise, it would soon drown (that there was a photographer there means the dog was rescued).

If tragedy brings out the worst in a few of us, it brings out the best in most. Countless pictures show volunteers rescuing people. One video that particularly struck me showed a man crying as he helped rescue an elderly resident of Dickinson from waist-deep water in his home. The elderly man was so frail he had to be hoisted into the rescue truck.

I’ve heard of people hitching up their boats and heading to Houston to be part of the rescue effort, which is admirable but I’m not sure Houston authorities want or are ready for a lot of untrained volunteers. Who would coordinate? It’s the opposite of the evacuation problem—instead of getting people out of Houston, the rescue effort might add them.

Ah, evacuation. Lots of hindsight authorities want to know why a mass evacuation wasn’t ordered? Think of the logistics of emptying a city of two-and-a-half millionousthous

, and remember the exodus under the threat of Hurricane Rita. I believe over a hundred died on the road—accidents, heat exhaustion, stalled cars, etc. We trust that those in charge studied the situation and made the best decisions they couold.

Kudos to my daughter-in-law, Melanie in Frisco. She is organizing a work day for the entire staff of her company. They will sort and package supplies for shipment to the Houston area from a local shelter. That’s called putting your money where your mouth is.

This whole tragedy has one major positive element, just as the Charlottesville riot did: Americans have demonstrated that we are a caring, loving people, that we can come together when needed. A lot of forces are working to divide us into various groups usually motivated by hate. The tragedy of Harvey unites us because we very much care about our fellow man.

If, like me, you can do no more than send a check, please do it today and be as generous as you can.