"It's beautiful": volunteers fan out to help communities flooded by Harvey By Rory Carroll, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.05.17 Word Count 801 Level MAX Volunteers in boats rescue people and their pets from their homes in Houston, Texas. Rising water from Hurricane Harvey pushed thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground as they had to flee their homes. Photo by: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images John Brown brought his fishing boat, a battered 16-foot skiff, and piloted it around submerged streets and avenues, seeking strangers to rescue. Dale Montalban brought his wetsuit and waded into the churning murk, escorting people to the boats and hauling their bags. Cassandra Luna bought a $9.95 life vest from Walmart and brought it in case someone, anyone, might need it. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
All three were among the throngs of volunteers who fanned across flooded areas in and around Houston on Monday. They vowed to do so all week. Volunteers Risk Injury For Rescue Of Others No one sent them and no one paid them. Yet for the sake of people they had never met, they exposed themselves to pelting rain and ominous warnings that Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, would unleash fresh mayhem. I think it s beautiful, everybody coming together to do this, said Brown, 41, a metalworker. He spoke amid a grim scene: flood waters surged through Woodlands, a community just north of Houston, marooning hundreds of families in their homes. The affluent High Oaks neighbourhood was especially badly hit, turning leafy streets and avenues into waist-high bayous. Yet Brown had left his own home 30 miles away, itself partially submerged, and driven through torrents to offer his boat and expertise to people in need. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Montalban felt the same compulsion. He labored for hours amid rising waters to deliver families, property and pets to relatively dry land, where vehicles shuttled them to shelters. Luna, 25, turned up with her offering of an orange life vest, still with its price tag. I was imagining there wasn t going to be any help. But there are so many people here. An Ideal America Here was the America of the ideal: one nation, indivisible. A republic of citizens looking out for each other. No politics or polarization. No fake news or social media bubbles. A crisis all could see, and a response all wanted to be part of. For one day at least, there was unity among the rescuers and rescued, a coalition of races and income groups. And there was, remarkably, calm. The storm continued to rage with 20 people confirmed dead, hundreds of thousands without power, and much of the landscape unrecognizable. But the rescue operation in High Oaks unfolded with calmness and flashes of humor. Rescue Response Coming From Private Boat Owners It was all the more impressive because just two of the seven boats that plucked residents to safety belonged to the fire department. The rest were owned and operated by private individuals. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
The private response has been tremendous, said David Polnick, a lieutenant with the Woodlands fire department. I ve even had to turn help away because there s been so much. Everything s going good so far. About 100 people have come out. He did not know how many residents remained. Most of the volunteers appeared to be Texan but they reflected the spirit of Louisiana s Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue force that responds after natural disasters. In two isolated cases in Houston, one group nearly had a boat stolen and another group was shot at when it did not pick up a group of stranded people. Why do I do this? Brown mused as he directed his skiff past a lamppost and some fallen trees. Well, why not? He had picked up more than 50 people by early afternoon and intended to continue till after dark. On one run he wheeled off Sawmill Road, docked on some mud and sloshed up South Summer Star Court seeking an elderly couple reportedly in need of evacuation. He found them but they refused to leave. Brown ended up taking another couple, a French man and Japanese woman, and directed a family of four, the Caetanos, to another boat. They thanked him and waved goodbye. One boat returned with an elderly couple, Dora and Ted Perez, the latter in a wheelchair. Another came overloaded with dogs. Mario Aguirre used an inflatable pool to transport food and kitchenware. Claire Torres, 29, clambered out of a boat cradling an infant. She was smiling. It s all good. We have a place to stay. A grandmother from the Anderson family arrived in a later boat with a gurgling newborn, Alexia, in a blanket. I hear you, pumpkin, she said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
Samaritans worked across the city. A family in a black SUV got stuck in a torrent on the I45. They risked being swept away, until they were spotted and extracted by Nick and Jeremy Hicks, brothers who own a tow-truck business. Nick anticipated doing more rescues. You bet. It feels good, man. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Quiz 1 Read the conclusion below. In spite of the destruction that Hurricane Harvey brought, the volunteer response taught the nation a valuable lesson on American ideals. Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support to the statement above? The affluent High Oaks neighbourhood was especially badly hit, turning leafy streets and avenues into waist-high bayous. For one day at least, there was unity among the rescuers and rescued, a coalition of races and income groups. The storm continued to rage with 20 people confirmed dead, hundreds of thousands without power, and much of the landscape unrecognizable. But the rescue operation in High Oaks unfolded with calmness and flashes of humor. 2 Read the section "Rescue Response Coming From Private Boat Owners." Select the paragraph from the article that suggests that volunteers played a huge role in rescuing people from the floods. It was all the more impressive because just two of the seven boats that plucked residents to safety belonged to the fire department. The rest were owned and operated by private individuals. Most of the volunteers appeared to be Texan but they reflected the spirit of Louisiana s Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue force that responds after natural disasters. In two isolated cases in Houston, one group nearly had a boat stolen and another group was shot at when it did not pick up a group of stranded people. One boat returned with an elderly couple, Dora and Ted Perez, the latter in a wheelchair. Another came overloaded with dogs. Mario Aguirre used an inflatable pool to transport food and kitchenware. A grandmother from the Anderson family arrived in a later boat with a gurgling newborn, Alexia, in a blanket. I hear you, pumpkin, she said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
3 Which answer choice accurately characterizes David Polnick s reaction to the volunteers arriving to help? He was extremely worried that people were putting themselves in danger. He was slightly annoyed that he had to turn away so many volunteers. He was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who came to help. He was very grateful because he thought no one was going to show up. 4 Read the selection below. No one sent them and no one paid them. Yet for the sake of people they had never met, they exposed themselves to pelting rain and ominous warnings that Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, would unleash fresh mayhem. Why did the author include this selection? to illustrate that Hurricane Harvey was one of the strongest hurricanes to hit Houston to explain why there were not enough people showing up to help after Hurricane Harvey landed to provide information to the readers about why people should wait to volunteer in Houston to show that volunteers showed up to help even though they were putting their own lives at risk This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7