Hurricane Harvey will go down as one of the most destructive storms to hit the continental United States in recent history.
Its impact on the state of Texas, particularly the flood-prone city of Houston, will be felt for years to come.
I have no doubt that the city of Houston and all other communities affected by Harvey will come out of this stronger than ever. They will rebuild, and there will come a time when out-of-towners driving through Texas will take for granted the new buildings and highways they pass along the way.
But these new buildings and 21st Century infrastructure should stand as a monument to just how fragile the lives of people and cities really are.
We take so much for granted in this country that sometimes we lose sight of the fact that one act of nature can come along and wipe out or flood an entire city.
Several years ago, when I was working for the newspaper in West Point, Miss., a line of destructive tornadoes swept through north Mississippi, destroying the town of Smithville in its path.
There was a power outage like none I had ever seen. Not even the largest store in the city of West Point had a generator producing any sort of light. I can remember driving through town, seeing nothing but the road, illuminated by my headlights, in front of me.
When I shut my car off, there was nothing but darkness.
I had never seen anything like that, and I have never seen anything like it since then.
I’m reminded of that night because I realized how much I take for granted.
One minute, I was on my phone checking baseball scores, and the next I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.
About a year after that storm, the city of Tuscaloosa, Ala. was rocked by a series of tornadoes that destroyed major parts of the city and county. The city was able to rebuild better than ever, but all of the new malls and restaurants along U.S. 82 stand as a reminder of one of the worst weather days in the city’s history.
As I write this column, there are thousands of people still waiting to be rescued in Houston and the surrounding areas. I can only imagine how they must feel as darkness overtakes the city each night.
My thoughts and prayers go out to these citizens and the rescue workers who are toiling through the night to bring as many to safety as possible.
