I'm sure many of you had already seen the MANY photos and stories about Hurricane Harvey. Back on August 25th, and over the next 4 days, Harvey dumped almost 50 inches of rain in some places on Texas. Well I happened to be in Houston during this storm, and me being a country boy, I had to get out there and experience one of Mother Natures most dangerous and beautiful performances. At night I sat with the garage door open, listening to the sounds and power of this storm. I saw the wind dance with the rain like I've never seen before. I saw the brightest flashes of lightning and heard the loudest thunder nature could possibly produce. It was amazingly frightening... I stayed up for hours with Harvey, just listening to him moan and complain about global warming, and Crystal Pepsi, and other things. After finally falling asleep, the day came, and it was time for me to get out of the house so that I could see the true power of Harvey. I looked for my shoes, put on one of those bright yellow rain suits, grabbed my camera, put on my headphones and I stood at the doorway, just thinking... Thinking for how long? I dont know. I stood there for what seemed like hours, going back and forth- back and forth. I mean, I just couldn't make up my mind. It's a hard choice, and I know we all go through dilemmas, and many of them ethical, but this one was tough!!! Surely im not the only one who finds it difficult to pick the right playlist from Spotify before I do anything... I finally picked a song (When my train pulls in-acoustic-Gary Clark Jr) and it was time to head out the door. Now let me just say that my house, and a few others were very fortunate. I never knew how lucky I was until I walked outside after the first night. I remember watching the news and seeing them out there with boats rescuing people, and thinking to myself, "Im glad that's nowhere near here". Boy was I wrong! That was literally right down the street! After a few blocks of wading through knee-high water, the current began to get a little stronger and soon the water was up to my belly button. Then it hit me... That's when I started seeing the things that people worked hard for, and cherished, in the water floating around me. When I turned my head in another direction I just saw people... Women carrying small children. Men helping the elderly, and trying to keep their families together. Teenagers were carrying bags of clothes, and ice chests that had whatever food, and water they could get by on for a few days. Then when I looked in the other direction I saw the heart, and the love that makes us human. At that very moment I heard this voice inside my head (He sounded like Tony Danza) say, "Brandon get your fucking camera out".... Well, the Images that follow are images that give proof that we are unique. They're tiny parts of the pieces that make us resilient, hopeful, and stronger. In recent years, we've watched so many people, and many of those that we know grow into someone who is a little more scared, a little more political, and sadly a little more racist. We let the thoughts of politicians, the will of radical groups, and the actions of people in a position to protect us or lead us, dictate the way we see each other. And WE-EACH OTHER-ALL OF US, WE ARE HUMAN. Yes, this is a site that's mainly about music, but I wanted to start this off with a message. I hope you find that message in these photos. Thank you for reading. |
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