Ultimately, there is no real good that comes with the historic devastation and destruction of property and loss of lives that Hurricane Harvey visited upon Houston and the nearby Gulf Coast. Twenty trillion gallons of rain fell on the area, 60 lives have been lost, 185,000 homes destroyed, almost 500,000 people displaced and an estimated total of $180 billion in damages to be expected.
Yet, not all the post-disaster stories are pointed to the heartbreaks and lifetime losses of the hurricane’s innocent victims. Many of the stories tell of an uplifting do-it-yourself spirit where the dividing lines between victim and rescuer, government and private citizen, rich or poor and black, white or brown were all washed away by the flood waters of Harvey.
It was as if Hurricane Harvey was that proverbial crisis or disaster that incites everyone to finally come together and cure a set of troubles or long-simmering disagreements. As in, “We hold these truths to be self-evident ….”
Imagine how we could deploy Houston’s do-it-yourself spirit to answer America’s long list of disagreements over climate change, environmental protections, race relations and economic justice.
In the middle of a historical natural disaster like Harvey or hurricanes Katrina and Sandy before it, we’ve found there is no quarter for partisanship, political posturing or corporate greed. In those most crucial moments of rescue and recovery there is no Us or Them. If only we could overlay these lessons across all of America.
Without malice or deceit we could find the space to reunite under our set of self-evident truths of equality, liberty and opportunity. In Houston, houseless neighbors helped sheltered strangers, pro sports athletes donated millions, the volunteer Cajun Navy joined the National Guard and Mexico sent medical relief. Sonoma County schoolchildren joined Donald Trump and sent donations to people they will never meet.
No one was very interested in arguing about the science of climate change. Everyone was too busy battling its aftereffects, where a warm ocean fed the fierce hurricane, which caused a storm surge over low lands recently impacted by measured higher sea levels. Climate change did not cause Hurricane Harvey; it only made it worse.
The argument against big government could not be heard as well. Even with the do-it-yourself spirit, only the biggest of governments can meet the needs of $180 billion in storm damages and the 364,000 individual claims already made to FEMA.
Houston is home to 2.3 million people, including 400,000 unregistered immigrants. It is one of America’s most racially diverse cities where 90 different languages are spoken. Even before Harvey, the Houston people shared an inclusive culture. The only wall they might want built is a sea wall.
Houston is also a global city, with the 27th largest economy in the world. The region has a strong economy that will support its storm recovery, unless the Trump administration really does rescind NAFTA and global exports.
With all that economic output comes 41 Superfund contaminated sites, now at risk of causing years of human illness and environmental degradation. This might not be a good time to consider downsizing the Environmental Protection Agency.
Some observers of the Trump presidency liken his ascendancy to a human hurricane. Trump himself has promised to turn government upside down. He has stirred up the dark clouds of nationalism and racism and he has promised to cut the very sources of social, economic and health services Houston and working families in America now need the most.
It’s not just Trump. For too long, we have allowed ourselves to be dominated by divisive politics, dishonest agendas and self-serving national leaders.
It will take years to rebuild Houston and it may take even longer to rebuild our original American faith in a few basic truths that, “we hold self-evident.” Given a choice, we favor the do-it-yourself approach.
