For those who haven’t been able to watch the news, Texas has had a terrible week in regards to weather. The state, which had formerly been in a drought and was in desperate need of rain, got its prayers answered in the form of massive thunderstorms. Unfortunately, these storms quickly overwhelmed the soil’s ability to absorb water, leading to massive flash floods across the state that have lead to multiple people dying and many others missing. Thankfully, in these times of need, people always seems to step up and show that they’re willing and able to help. This was shown by the huge numbers of people who volunteered for rescue parties across the state in an effort to find those that were missing after the devastation.

The volunteers come from all over the state and come equipped for any sort of environment, though mostly those focusing on mud and flooded rivers. They spread out and search on foot on vehicles ranging from ATVs and off-terrain vehicles to private helicopters. Some of the volunteers are related to those who have died and are still missing, others are simply people who want to help out those in need and felt like they couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. With at least 19 people dead in Texas and Oklahoma and another 14 in Mexico, the death tolls are most likely going to rise. Entire houses have been washed away, taking those inside them along with them; these are the bodies and the missing that are being searched for across the state.

How did this happen? Texas had faced years of drought and when the sudden storms came, the ground simply couldn’t absorb the water fast enough. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared 47 counties disaster areas and the rain is still falling. Just how bad were the floods? The Blanco River in Hays County, southwest of Austin, grew to 40 feet above flood stage, taking away houses, vehicles, roads, and bridges. As more and more people volunteer for these search-and-rescue missions, hopefully they find more survivors. At the very least, hopefully they find bodies so that the families can put them to proper rest.

If you’d like to read more, the link is here.