The Storm that Taught Me

To me, the world’s greatest satisfaction in the world is reaching down and lifting someone up. You never know how big of an impact you are making in someone’s life. I believe in helping others in times of need. If you do not help others in times of need, the world would be very isolated. At 1 AM, on Saturday, August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Houston, Texas. Prior to this, my family was preparing for flooding, packing non-perishable food, first-aid kits, and planning for the worst. While taking our cats and rabbits stuff upstairs, our friends, who lived in the heart of Houston, called, explaining their dilemma. Their area was issued a mandatory evacuation and had to leave. With no place to stay, they were on the way to our house. All seven of them, 5 kids, including a newborn came in. Together we prepared their rooms and let them settle in.

After dinner, we turned on the news and saw Harvey coming in. That night none of us could sleep, listening to the wind blowing, rain thundering down, and trees snapping. The four-year old told me, carrying the cat, “Saira didi, the kitty is scared, can you make the rain stop, please”. With a forced smile, I helped her to bed and let the cat sleep with her. When we stepped out the next morning, we saw the nearby lake completely full, it was an amazing yet scary sight. The dads went a little further down and came back wet and explained that there was no way they could return home. They ended up staying that day and planned on leaving the next morning.

The next morning, the news reported how jammed and flooded the roads were in their community. With tears and worried faces, they stayed for another week. Even my cat seemed to understand the grim situation. Finally, when the roads were cleared, we all went to drop them off. On the way, I saw the damage the hurricane did and was worried about the state of their house. Our eyes bulged out when we saw their house. The flood water receded, but we could all see how high the water had come. Their carpets, rugs, sofas, and chairs were all ruined. The house smelled like rotten food and skunks. “What happened here” said one of them with a hanging jaw. “Harvey happened” I replied. They realized that they could not stay in the hostile conditions, so they packed a week's worth of clothes, and we all headed back. Over the course of the next week, the dads set out and fixed the house up, so they can move back. They tossed out the unusable furniture and ripped out the carpet. Back home, I tried to explain to them how everything would be fine, but I have never seen such worried faces. When they finally returned home, it was not the same, but it was better than having mold on the walls. Over the next 2 months, they redid their house and it looked better than before. I was so glad I helped them, and even one year later, we still look back and reflect on those two crazy weeks.

I believe in helping others. Harvey was very tragic storm that destroyed 135, 000 houses. If we all pitch in and help others, we can make an impact in society. By joining hands, we can reunite the world. As Martin Luther King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing to help others?”