Here in North Texas we were not directly affected by Hurricane Harvey, but it still dominated the news. It has certainly been heartbreaking to see all the devastation, but it seems like most everyone wants to help in one way or another.
The Dallas/Ft. Worth area has been taking in many evacuees and there is no shortage of groups in the area collecting supplies. Some of the supplies are staying here in the area because of the evacuees, but plenty of other groups have made their way down south and others still plan to do so.
Considering how divisive our country is these days, it has certainly been something to see all that put aside to help the people affected by the storms. Unfortunately, it seems to take such things for people to remember that we are all part of the human race. Now is a time for compassion and positive action.
One impact on North Texas that I wasn’t expecting from the storm was a shortage of gas up in our area. I anticipated that gas prices would go up and I topped up my car before they did. Then as I was driving home one evening, I noticed that there was a run on the gas stations in our area.
I had not watched the news, but figured it must be related to the storms. What was most frustrating was that we were not in danger of running out of gas, but there was a big panic. The shortage was caused by everyone getting gas at the same time. Even though there was less gas, we would not have run out had it not been for the panic. After a few days, things have started to get back to normal.
I am glad to see all the good will in North Texas. There are plenty of opportunities to do good here and I hope we all continue to pull together to do our part. Now I am keeping an eye on Hurricane Irma. I am praying we don’t end up with another major hurricane this season.
