People Helping People: Got To Love It!

This ---- this ---- is what America is all about. Really. People are seeing others in need, and they respond. They respond positively. Neighbors helping other neighbors in a time of crisis, and they are delivering. We're in the midst of one of the most dangerous and costly tropical weather situations this nation has seen. To think, a week ago, a tropical storm way down south of Mexico in the extreme southwestern part of the Gulf of Mexico didn't get much notice but just started to get some hype as the week progressed.

And today?

Harvey became a hurricane this past Friday. By the time it made landfall just north of Corpus Christi, it was a Category 4. It wreaked havoc over the regions north of Corpus all the way up to Interstate 10. Incredibly, the Austin area ended up with more rain than San Antonio ever did. The stubborn eye of Harvey would not move or make a surprise move up the northeast. Instead, it had meandered slowly over the South Texas area before moving back in the Gulf. The eastern part of the rain bands kept hovering over the Houston area over the weekend. Who'd have thought that Houston would be impacted more than Corpus Christi in the aftermath of Harvey? Actually, the storm is technically not even done yet, as its remnants continue to dump rain all over Southeast and East Texas.

Corpus Christi had become the forgotten city in all of this, as they suffered wind damage due to the Category 4 power of Harvey. Rockport and Port Aransas suffered incredible damage to the towns. Rebuilding will take many months and, possibly, years. I was expecting areas between Corpus and Houston to be rained on the hardest, but I never would have expected Houston to get dumped on the way it has. This is the most rain the area has had since Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.

All this to say what my subject matter truly is: People still care. Baseball fans in Southern California are holding up signs giving good words to the people of Houston at the Astros-Los Angeles Angels game on Sunday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had a team of helpers going to the ravaged areas to help and rescue needy folks. Local rescue teams and the U.S. Coast Guard even got into the act. President Donald Trump will be flying to the areas tomorrow to survey the damage. Even New York City mayor Bill deBlasio is sending some of his team members to assist in helping. Sort of a reciprocation for when Texans had gone and helped with Sandy and with 9/11. Pro baseball players were sending out well wishes. Radio jocks were keeping the needy in their thoughts and prayers. And Houston sports teams won't be playing in their home facilities due to the flooding on area streets and highways. The Astros are going to play a few of their scheduled home games at Tropicana Field in St. Pete (instead of Minute Maid Park), thanks to the generosity of folks in Florida. The Texans will play the Cowboys in a preseason game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday (instead of NRG). They're practicing in Frisco as we speak. University of Texas football coach Tom Herman permitted the University of Houston Cougars team to practice at the Longhorns' facilities. Not only that, but many people, from individuals to charity groups, are writing generous checks and giving funds for the victims of this tragic scene.

This is refreshing. People are out there helping people in times of need. Just when I believed that, perhaps, my own country had somehow moved away from that, for one reason or another, guess what? We would come through like a shining star.............once again!