On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall, submerging the greater Houston area in as much as twenty feet of water. The pictures coming out of Houston are nothing short of devastating; people trapped in their cars, or on roofs of their houses, bridges and highways underwater, and the overwhelming sadness of people who have no idea what comes next. According to the New York Post, the death toll has now risen to 50 and is expected to climb further as waters recede, and the real recovery begins. While the disaster itself is over, the most difficult trials are yet to come. According to ABC News, FEMA administrator Brock Long says that the organization is currently housing more than 32,000 people in 200 shelters across the state of Texas. Some people living in these shelters lost loved ones, many lost their homes and most valuable possessions, while others lost everything, forced to begin their lives anew, with nothing to their names except the things they could carry with them. On top of this, more than 325,000 Texans have registered for FEMA’s disaster assistance, which provides money and other needed resources to aid the transition of those affected. In the wake of such a tragic event, you would think that the American people would support those in need, and help the victims in any way they can. You thought wrong.

The only thing that people have come together to achieve is to point fingers at each other. Many media outlets have used the devastation of Hurricane Harvey to take shots at President Trump and his policies. Journalists were quick to point out that Trump planned to cut funding to FEMA by nearly 876 million dollars before the storm hit, with most of the money going toward his proposed border wall. Many of these sources fail to point out that the agency’s budget cut had yet to even take effect, and is, therefore, a moot point. Climate scientists and environmentalists have also put their two cents in, stating that the storm was much worse due to climate change. Harvey was initially designated a tropical depression, a much lower category of storm not capable of doing the damage that a hurricane could. However, when Harvey entered the Gulf of Mexico, the abnormally warm waters in the gulf enabled Harvey to pick up a lot of steam very quickly, allowing it to pack much more of a punch once it made landfall. Lastly, there were those who took issue with President Trump tweeting that he witnessed Hurricane Harvey “first hand” when he was actually just talking with those who were, such as Texas governor Greg Abbot.

While these are all legitimate concerns that need attention, the fact that they are getting so much media traction is the inspiration for why I wrote this article. Yes, climate change is the most important issue facing the world right now, but I don’t think anybody in Houston is concerned about the science behind the reason why everything they own is gone. I have my problems with President Trump, and he is pretty much known for his outrageously false claims, but it is far from the most important thing going on right now. I’m sure that the people of Houston are scrambling to get to the front of the line so that they can see what the President tweeted about this morning. All of this petty politics and celebrity gossip and all of these people playing the blame game doesn’t accomplish anything. There are people in Houston who need help, people who have experienced loss far greater than I could ever imagine, and you can’t even wait until the city is above water to start spewing your agendas. Journalists and politicians are supposed to cover the big issues and report on stories that people need to know and contribute to the greater good. Maybe that time has passed, and the era of click bait and gossip has taken its place, but it’s not too late for the integrity of the media and politicians to return. Sure, helping those affected by Hurricane Harvey won’t solve all of these problems, but we have to start somewhere.

If you want to donate to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey, you can do so by going to the American Red Cross website by clicking here.