In this video, I talk with author and economic analyst John Sneisen about the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and how it has affected the people of Texas.
The vast majority of flood victims did not have insurance and are facing homelessness and poverty because of it. John goes into why this is and what people can do to protect themselves.
This tragedy has taught us a lesson in self sustainability from more than one angle. One is that the government monopolized insurance companies do not compete properly on the free market and why people need to be financially responsible and prepared. The second lesson in self sustainability is the incredible support individuals have gotten from other individuals throughout the recent days as people drop everything to help each other.
The individual is far more efficient than the state and a great example is the number of people taking out boats in Houston and rescuing families from the flood as the waters continue to rise in many areas. There are also countless people throughout Texas and the rest of the United States, not to mention outside of the US sending supplies, food, water, blankets and other necessities in this sad time.
One great group of people working to help the people of Houston and surrounding areas is the 'Liberty Coalition for Disaster Relief' which is collecting donations to help those struggling and in need.
While the Red Cross takes much of the donations for themselves, LCDR is putting the money where it's needed.
Another great individual is Kory Watkins, a man running for governor of Texas who has put everything aside to help the people of Houston. Without expecting donations he went out and started filling up a cart full of necessities for Houston only to get an outpouring of support from people over Facebook via PayPal and Bitcoin. Before he knew it, he'd filled 5 carts of items to send to disaster relief.
While people all too often attack libertarians as if they don't care about other people, this truly goes to show the amount of care libertarians have as INDIVIDUALS willing to help their neighbor in terrifying times.
Harvey was catastrophic and the floods that followed continue to destroy people's homes and uproot their lives. We ask that you help in any way you can. Let's show how powerful we as individuals are when we care about others and work together to better a terrible situation.
See the FULL video report here:
You can donate here:
https://www.gofundme.com/Liberty-Coalition-for-Disaster-Relief
It's sad.. that hurricane has brought many many troubles
This post received a 1.5% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @elviento! For more information, click here!
Thank-you for mentioning Red Cross takes donations.
They are scandalous.
I agree! It needs to be called out!
I'm grieve to calamity of hurricane harvey!! hopefully, more people like Kory Watkins who wants to help disaster victims!!
Lots of incredible people helping out! :)
OH MY GOD. i am speech less. Thank you. For your great sharing.
I'm afraid he disaster in Texas is only just beginning. With the majority of people not having insurance, very few local resources to draw on, most people unfortunately living paycheck to paycheck with no jobs (at least in the short term), and the federal government horribly lacking in ability and desire. I dread to see what happens to the victims after the water recedes. Something tells me if it were not for people like Kory Watkins and the countless charities doing what they can, many more people would suffer needlessly. As someone who survived Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan, and Hurricane Jeanne, I can speak with some understanding, and believe me when I say, it's the small acts of kindness from individuals that make the difference... Upvoted, Followed, and Resteemed... Steem On...
It is ashtonishing that american people who don't have an insurance and don't have some money need sharity to het through this... Does the government have any budget for helping these people?
Yes, the government has a huge disaster relief budget.
The biggest problem is that people also lose their records in natural disasters.
The government anywhere is not reliable, though.
ALWAYS have your own backup plan.
Kind of like keeping a copy of your btc keys.
Whenever there's this type of calamities, we should be always careful and please obey safety procedures. One stupid mistake can cost a life
Doesn't the government have a fund for such natural disasters???
If government exists for nothing else, it's this...!!!
Follow me
It's sad that these things happen. I hope people vill get back on their feet after this.
About insurance, isn't there a thing called "force majeure" so even if you have insurance the insurance companies won't pay in case of "force majeure" in this case a hurricane?
Insurance companies will try anything to not to pay. Unfortunately this is the world we live in, greed over empathy.
Yeah that's the way it is unfortunately.
I can personally relate with the victims of the flooding. As an young boy born in Bangladesh I can rember after a week's non stop rain you would need a boat to visit your neighbors. However, now most of the poorest people on earth have to deal with India opening up the floodgates as well as the rain.
Great post and well put together. Thank you for sharing and contributing.
Never understood why we don't help evacuate potential victims before hurricanes hit. #PrayForHouston
Sharing to get this seen by more people!
You make a very important point.
Many people don't realize the massive influence of government regulation. Without subsidies and regulations, very few of these structures would have been built in flood zones. Nobody is going to loan you money (give you a money) for a house in a flood zone without flood insurance. Nobody is going to give you flood insurance for a reasonable cost in a flood zone - unless they are subsidized by the government!
We need to help take care of the people who were devastated by this storm. Many are in dire need and have been left with nothing.
But going forward, we need to change our policies and realize that the federal policies we make have consequences.