'We aint doing no damn good': volunteer rescuers struggle in Houston

[nitpicker]

Source: The Guardian


'We ain’t doing no damn good': volunteer rescuers struggle in Houston


Rory Carroll

Wednesday 30 August 2017 09.42 BST Last modified on Wednesday 30 August 2017 10.04 BST


The three men drove through the night from Louisiana hauling three boats, ready for whatever the storm would throw at them. Brad Johns and his dad Wayne, and their friend John Utesch, helped save lives during Hurricane Katrina and planned to do the same in Houston as part of a volunteer rescue force, paying their own way.

The challenge was immense. Tropical storm Harvey was breaking records for rain and flooding, a once-in-a-thousand-year event by some They had a ski boat, a skiff and a canoe plus fuel, food, water and an app, HoustonHarveyRescue.com, which pinpointed people in need. It showed dozens of locations in Cypress, an inundated northern suburb. “Hopefully we can do some good,” said Brad.
(snip)

Television footage has shown dramatic rescues: people plucked from rooftops, vehicles and foaming torrents, heroism and survival, played out again and again. But for the three Louisianians, part of the so-called Cajun navy, there was just the messy, confusing, unpredictable dynamics of catastrophe in a sprawling city.
(snip)

The app, for starters, did not work well. Locations which seemed close turned out to be far. Or the people needing rescuing turned out to have already been rescued.
(snip)

Dozens of other vehicles towing dinghies, kayaks, airboats, jet skis and motorised fishing boats were doing the same thing. Their drivers stopped at gas stations and parking lots to confer in the rain, exchanging tips and rumours, before resuming the quest. During one stop the Johns and Utesch acquired a local guide, Karl Juergen, a semi-retired electrical worker, who offered to navigate.

They found an emergency response command post – a fire station bristling with military vehicles – only to receive apologetic shrugs. The uniforms didn’t know where to send them.
(snip)

Finally, action. Except for one problem. Boats had already gone up there and returned empty. Residents didn’t want to leave despite warnings the water would rise another 1.2 metres (4ft).
(snip)

Back on the highway the two men found Wayne and Juergen and loaded their boats back on to the pickup. “Well, we tried,” said Brad, dejected. “The effort and desire were there, the results weren’t,” said Utesch.
(snip)


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/30/we-aint-doing-no-damn-good-volunteer-rescuers-struggle-in-houston

[Roland99]

1. Based on the one neighborhood in the article...

If I'd been one of those residents I'd likely stay at home, too. Esp if I had food, water, etc

[Not Ruth]

2. Not everyone wants to leave Houston, some are posting videos of some unusual opportunities

[FakeNoose]

4. This kid is wasting much-needed fuel, just joy riding

OK it looks fun, but some people need to have more sense.

They're surrounded by disaster and people are dying.

[Hortensis]

3. They would no doubt find need in smaller communities outside the metro area.

The big resources go first to where they are most needed, and of course a metro area of something like 7 million people with every conceivable life threatening problem arising now and within the next week and two would be that.

They're saying many people dry in their homes are reportedly out of food or running out. Medication! Safe water. Of course, every competently and responsibly equipped home should have more than a week's supply of these, including a means of disinfecting water for drinking.