Right: My sister-in-law’s brother doing rescue about 20 minutes from where I grew up.
Houston is my hometown, and I’m watching in horror as it drowns. While we saw some wild Texas weather during my childhood, we never saw anything as devastating as Hurricane Harvey. I still have friends and family in the area. They are all safe. Some are in their homes, but quite a few evacuated. This week is only the beginning of the challenges Houston faces. The repercussions from this storm will last for years.
However, when I hear the stories about what the health care and emergency response community in Houston has done to care for residents in the midst of this disaster, I’m as proud as I am thankful. It has been incredible to read about how they have waded through and rowed boats down flooded streets, and even dropped in from the air to care for patients. They’ve suffered just as much damage to their homes as their neighbors, yet they continue to work around the clock, catching a few hours of sleep between shifts when they can.
To the Houston community, these caregivers are nothing short of heroes, putting their own lives at risk for the sake of others. I encourage you to read this great piece in The Wall Street Journal to hear their stories.
It’s easy to feel helpless during faraway crises, but there are a couple very easy ways you can lend your support to Houston. First, you can join WSHA in donating to the Texas Hospital Association’s Harvey Relief Fund, of which every cent will directly support the caregivers who have suffered significant property loss from the storm. Second, you can donate blood. With flooded roads and a continuing storm, supplies — including blood — are running low at Houston hospitals. Learn more and find a blood drive near you. Type O-positive blood is in particular need.
I hope you’ll consider joining us in supporting Texas. By coming together, we can take care of those who care for the community.
Sincerely,
Cassie Sauer
WSHA President & CEO
cassies@wsha.org
