On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Southern Texas. The storm lasted for days, pouring almost 52 inches of rain. The downpour has caused widespread flooding, forcing more than 32, 000 people into shelters and damaging the city's water supply system.
The only silver lining is that disasters like these seemed to unite people. While the number of organizations and individuals that have gone all out to assist the victims is too many to list, here are some highlights of the outpouring of support that has made headlines this past week.
A week ago, NFL player JJ Watt set up a website with a goal to raise $200, 000. Soon he has collected over $18 million, and the donations keep pouring in. The thrilled football star wants to ensure the money is used where needed, saying, "We're trying to make sure it goes directly to the people. So our first wave of operation is we'll have nice semitrucks going out there and I will go straight into the communities and hand stuff out there. "
Ordinary individuals are not shying away from helping either. Jim McIngvale, the owner of a furniture store, turned his two 100, 000squarefoot warehouse into shelters. When asked if he was concerned about the furniture that was being used by those living there, he responded" These people are nice. They're taking care of the furniture. Furniture's made to be sat on, slept on or laid on. It's just a product. "
There are also many unsung heroes that are putting their lives at risk to help others. After discovering an elderly man trapped inside his truck, local people made a human chain through the dangerous water to drag him to safety.
While there is not much anyone could have done to prevent the loss, people across the US are doing everything they can to help its people recover.
