Southeast Texas

You probably hadn’t heard about this part of the world until several days ago.  Tucked away in Southeast Texas abutting the Louisiana state line, a proud and diverse group of hard-working men and women are facing one of the most significant challenges to ever beset the area, or the country – the ravages of Hurricane Harvey.  Relentless rains dropped roughly 26” of water on the area in a 24-hour period (and about FOUR FEET of water over a three day period) in early September, and the swollen bayous and compacted clay soils are screaming “no more!”

Thousands need our help.

As the waters continued to rise, the damage to the people and their property also rose.  Tens of thousands of people were impacted.  Thousands evacuated.  Thousands upon thousands of homes flooded.  Water supplies are significantly impacted.  Power is still out for much of the area.  And a long road to recovery ahead.

So far, support has been home grown. Resources are stretched and floodwaters are blocking pathways to many of those in need.  For a time, the storm effectively cut off Southeast Texas (SETX) from the rest of the world.

And now, neighbors are feeding and housing neighbors.

So it was up to SETX to take care of its own.  And they did.  Friends rescued friends. Flotillas of duck boats and air boats manned by refinery and chemical plant workers plucked people from their flooded homes and carried them to safety.  Wildlife agents and sheriff’s deputies went from house to house.  School teachers hitched rides with their cousins from Louisiana who came over to help with rescues. 

Why should we care?  Well, for one thing, these are the people who have had our backs for years and you may not have even even known about it.  

• Put gas in your car?  These are the folks who make 13% of all of the nation’s gasoline.  
• Travel by plane or use products transported by air?  These are the folks who make more than 60% of the nation’s jet fuel.  
• Interested in the country’s balance of trade?  These are the #1 exporters of liquefied natural gas and #2 exporter of crude oil generating a trade surplus in excess of $2 billion. 
• Support our military? This is the home of the #1 commercial military offload port and of the largest Naval ready reserve fleet in the United States.

Yep, these guys have our backs, working hard everyday to make our families’ lives easier.  And now they need us.  Let's return the favor!

Still undecided about helping?  Here are the facts:

Hurricane Harvey created devastating impacts on the Southeast Texas community.

• Tens of thousands of homes flooded, and tens of thousands were without power.
• Residents are still being housed in local shelters in need of supplies.
• Now that the water has subsided and people are able to go back to their homes and businesses, they are faced with the overwhelming reality that their lives and their community have been turned upside down.

Southeast Texas is strong.  And resilient.  And will get through this.

• Fire personnel, the Coast Guard and the National Guard have been there from the beginning.
• People across the Southeast Texas community are volunteering – driving dump trucks, air boats, duck boats, and every other vessel imaginable to rescue neighbors and to ferry supplies.
• Those who have boats, even if their own homes flooded, set out to bring people to safety as soon as they could.
• People have been cooking food and bringing meals to local shelters.  People are helping gut homes and donating supplies.

While the community has demonstrated a remarkable effort, they still need some help. 

• Southeast Texas is doing all they can to get through this storm’s aftermath and recover.
• Our help will go a long way in getting them “back to normal.”
• Visit the Southeast Texas Recovery website and the Facebook Page to contribute!

www.SETXRecovery.com
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