Hurricane Harvey, a not-so-distant memory
Four years ago today, I was posting on social media about being stuck at my sister’s house and “evacuating” to the second floor as water threatened to breach the front door of her house. The “remnants” of Hurricane Harvey were pounding the Houston area with what ended up 48-51 inches of rain.
It was days of anxiety and uncertainty as news reports rolled in about neighborhoods being underwater. My sister’s area would get hours of rain and, just as the water was about to flood into her house, the rain would drop off long enough for the water to recede. Then it would start all over.
Thousands upon thousands of people were affected, with some still feeling the impact in their homes or businesses; many homes and businesses didn’t survive or are still being repaired. As one of the people who also lived through Tropical Storm Allison, I thought we were prepared for Harvey, but boy was I wrong!
My family was lucky. Except for the inconvenience of the weather event and some minor roof damage to several of the houses, we were unscathed. And I’m grateful.
As we watch a hurricane threaten to form in the Gulf, with predictions bringing it too close to Houston for comfort, the memory of Harvey is especially sharp.
Are you ready for another weather event?
Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.