Oddly, when you think of tropical storms and hurricanes hitting the United States, most people automatically think of Florida. In actual fact, Texas is often harder hit because of all the storms losing their power on the east coast or when skirting through the bay, bringing rains that have a devastating effect, and displacing tens of thousands of people each year. In August of 2017 alone, more than 30,000 people were evacuated from Texas due to floods from Tropical Storm Harvey as it pounded its way through the state. If you ever have the need to find ways to locate people displaced by floods and storms in Texas, here are three things you can try.
1. Contact Disaster Relief at the American Red Cross
If your friend or family member was displaced due to a natural disaster in Texas, the first place to start in the hours and days following the weather event would be with the American Red Cross. This non-profit organization keeps records of shelters in and around disaster zones and will likely have a list of those who stayed in Red Cross emergency shelters. Some may even have placed victims in temporary housing if they were unable to return home soon or in the foreseeable future.
2. The Internet Is an Invaluable Resource – Use It!
Most of us probably never appreciate the Internet until we have need of rapid dissemination of information, as would be the case before, during, and after a natural disaster. Not only can you check on Facebook or other social sites to see if your loved one has checked in, but you can easily search through an online Texas people finder site like Intelius, which may have the latest address listed once the displaced family has settled in a new location.
Public records are updated regularly, so if you have trouble finding someone important to you after a hurricane, flood, fire, or another disaster, a good online people finder is a great place to start. Just be aware of the fact that the displaced person must have a new address and some sort of account attached to them at that new address. Otherwise, you’ll only find old records from the home they just vacated.
3. Check Local Newspapers and Television Listings
Many areas around the country have provided public service listings of displaced persons after major climate or weather events. Currently, people are still displaced after Harvey flooded their homes which are still uninhabitable. If you go back to editions in the days and weeks following a storm, a list of survivors registered with shelters may be your best hope for tracking down people displaced by storms and floods, especially in Texas.
Texas is a big state. You have almost certainly heard that they do things big in Texas, which is also true of natural disasters. When Texas gets hit, it gets hit hard and in a very big way. As the second largest of 50 states in terms of both population and land mass, it may be difficult to find someone displaced after a flood or storm in Texas, but with the right tools, it can be done.
