Houston's Horrendous Hurricane Harvey

1st, a thanks to everyone throughout the world for such care & concern surrounding the horrible flooding caused by the recent storm.

Luckily, there was no actual flooding w/in an 8-10 block radius of my house. Even though we are near a couple of the major tributary bayous in the area: Greens & Cedar. In the easternmost portion of this gigantic city, we seemed to have fared miraculously well.

Since being able to travel somewhat freely, our time has been devoted 1st to gutting the home of my roommate's brothers. As of today, we are almost finished.

By tomorrow, we'll be moving to the next house, giving a hand to their neighbors, then to the next. Over the last couple of days we've gotten to know & care for them as they lent their hands to us. Unfortunately, it is only since Weds., as the rains were still tapering off, that anyone was permitted to enter their neighborhood, as the whole of it was underwater. Still.

Even as I write, areas of the city in the west & southwest are inundated & still in the process of flooding due to spillage, controlled & uncontrolled, from the reservoirs in those parts of town. It really has to be an extra tragic situation, to be flooding when it's not even raining anymore.

At this point, I am quite lost for words. Seeing the devastation around me, only narrowly avoided by grace, I feel at once grateful & unspeakably sad. So many personal stories of heroes & rescues have brought me to tears while restoring my faith in human nature. The vast, disparate & sundry folk united in common effort to survive & recover & heal, is the sweetest, silver lemonade from the dark & sour lemon, rain clouds we could hope for, I guess. Mixed metaphor, notwithstanding. Onward & upward!!!