Ken Jacobs carries 5-year-old Astrid Galperin from a rescue boat on Thursday. Jacobs, who is operations director for a kayak tour/rental business in Houston, was one of many everyday residents who played a role in rescue efforts. John Taggart For The Washington Post
Kevin Sullivan and Peter Holley describe an “unprecedented do-it-yourself relief effort that came to define Hurricane Harvey. After the storm blew into Houston, a remarkable network of boat owners with smartphones, worried neighbors with laptops and digital wizards with mapping software popped up to summon and support an army of good Samaritans who motored, rowed and waded into dangerous waters to save family, friends and total strangers.”
“The ‘We the People’ response seemed distinctly Texan, an outgrowth of the state’s almost genetic disinclination to rely on the government for anything – and in some cases, resolute willingness to defy it. Just as some Texans defied mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the storm, many rescuers ignored repeated official warnings to stay off streets flooded with treacherous and fast-flowing waters.”
To read entire Star-Telegram story, click HERE.