Over the course of the last several days, the state of Texas has caught on fire. This doesn’t mean that they have caught hot enthusiasm over the upcoming football season or over Texas A&M University’s potential move to the SEC. No, the state has literally been overcome with wildfires. New blazes are popping up all over the state every day, and hot spots are reigniting at alarming rates.
In the midst of this devastating inferno chasing its way across the Texas landscape, community members and home owners have been blown away by the response received from people currently unaffected by the fires. Food, water, toiletries, and shelters have been flooding in to assist those in dire need. Emergency items, such as milk for babies, have come in impressive waves. Even pet beds, cat litter, and dog food is finding its way to the needy pets also displaced during this ordeal.
Despite this bright spot of neighbors loving and caring for each other, one cannot ignore the devastation. There will be no sweeping this blight under the rug; not when people are sleeping outside on picnic tables, for lack of better shelter.
Thousands of acres in and around Austin, Bastrop, Houston, and surrounding areas have been burned. The drought dragging on in Texas this year is the culprit in these latest fires. Firefighters from all over the country battled and are still battling the blazes. Tanker planes, government planes, and aircraft capable of scooping gallons of lake water at a time were on the scene and doing everything in their power to help contain the flames.
Federal grants have already been approved to assist the state with the devastation and rebuilding that will be needed in the months and years to come.
Stories have been rolling in on news stations, radio stations, and newspaper pages of the personal plight of so many families. In the Bastrop area, prayers were said this morning for two cousin firefighters who lost everything they had while helping fight the fires in their area. The selflessness has not gone unnoticed.
In addition to the people stories appearing every day, the news is warning every day against the dangers that the smoke alone can cause. Highways and feeder roads in and around the city of Houston, Texas, have low visibility, making it very difficult for motorists. It is akin to thick fog, causing vehicles to slow to a crawl and to put plenty of distance between their bumpers.
The effects are far reaching, and the repairs and rebuilding will consume Texans for days, months, weeks, and even years to come. Will people be able to bring back what nature so quickly and ferociously took away this summer?
