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I Downloaded an App. Suddenly, I was a Rescue Dispatcher. (houstonchronicle.com)

Holly Hartman, a journalism teacher for 22 years, writes an incredible story: After watching nonstop coverage of the hurricane and the incredible rescues that were taking place, I got in bed at 10:30 on Tuesday night. I had been glued to the TV for days. I read an article about the Cajun Navy and the thousands of selfless volunteers who have shown up to this city en masse. The article explained they were using a walkie-talkie-type app called Zello to communicate with each other, locate victims, get directions, etc. I downloaded the app, found the Cajun Navy channel and started listening. I was completely enthralled. Voice after voice after voice coming though my phone in the dark, some asking for help, some saying they were on their way. Most of the transmissions I was hearing when I first tuned in were from Houston, but within 30 minutes or so, calls started coming in from Port Arthur and Orange. Harvey had moved east from Houston and was pummeling East Texas. Call after call from citizens saying they were trapped in their houses and needed boat rescue. None of the volunteer rescuers had made it to that area from Houston, but as soon as the calls started coming in, they were moving out, driving as fast as they could into the middle of Harvey.

3 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. I Downloaded an App. by Dirk+Becher · · Score: 5, Funny

    Suddenly, I was a vietnamese callgirl.

  2. Re:Why rescue those who acted stupidly? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Being a decent human being is challenging. So just keep practicing, you will get there.

  3. Re:Why rescue those who acted stupidly? by GrumpySteen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd say the GP AC has demonstrated a complete lack of regard for human life by dismissing everyone who didn't evacuate as "stupid" without any attempt to understand whether they actually had the ability to evacuate.

    The viral photo of the seniors at a flooded assisted living center are a good example of what's wrong with that logic. None of those people had the ability to evacuate themselves, but you and the GP are both dismissing them as "stupid" and not worthy of being rescued without any regard for the situation they found themselves in.

    There is nothing decent or humane about your comments here. You should both be ashamed of yourselves.