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After Hurricane Harvey brought massive flooding to Houston over the weekend, Americans from across the nation showed their support for the flooded city with #HoustonStrong on Twitter. Messages ranged from well wishes to images of city residents being rescued by first responders. "All the first responders and citizens taking action to rescue people from the flooding, you are heroes," said Cleveland, OH, news anchor Katie Ussin, before adding #HoustonStrong to the end of her post.
On Friday, Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm with winds of up to 130 m.p.h. Over the course of the night and during the day on Saturday, the storm weakened significantly; however, it still dump a deluge-amount of rain, flooding the streets of communities across Southeast Texas.
"Houston Strong" seems to be a new iteration of the phrase "Boston Strong," which became a popular sentiment across the nation after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The Boston version of the saying even spawned a line of t-shirts. According to the t-shirt makers, the saying was based on a notion that then-President Barack Obama shared in his statement on the attack: that Boston is a special community, a particularly resilient community, and would be able to pull through the damage the bombing had caused.
And based on media reports of rescue operations, it seems like Houston is just as resilient a city as Boston has been — #HoustonStrong, indeed.
Rescue Missions Are Underway In Houston
A post by a Florida-based reporter shows the sheriff of Harris County (where Houston is based) attempting to rescue people stranded in the flood waters.
Organizations Are Still In Need Of Donations
Some on Twitter who used the #HoustonStrong sentiment reminded their followers that many organizations could use financial support to aid their post-Harvey rescue and rebuilding efforts.
The National Guard Is In Houston
A Fort Worth-Dallas NBC affiliate shared a photo of what appears to be a National Guardsman rescuing a mother and her child in knee-deep water.
Americans From All Over Showed Their Support
The #HoustonStrong posts weren't just limited to people based in Houston or Texas. In the post above, a yoga teacher from Pennsylvania showed her support for the flooded city.
First Responders Were Widely Praised
A Cleveland, OH-based newscaster expressed how impressed she has been by the efforts of first responders in Houston.
Some Tweeted Criticisms At President Donald Trump
In response to a TIME article estimating that after the flood damage, it could cost billions of dollars to restore Houston, one Twitter user suggested that Trump focus on rebuilding Houston rather than building his highly controversial wall along the Mexican-American border.
Others Had Even Harsher Words For The President
The president has tweeted breathlessly about Houston's situation — he seemed almost giddy when remarking on how historic the flooding is — but his commentary was interspersed with more political and controversial posts about issues like his plans to build a wall along the Mexican-American border.
Houston Even Attracted International Attention
A musician from Australia expressed his concern for Houston on Twitter.
Houston Residents Expressed Their Grief
Hurricane Harvey caused so much flooding that Houston's streets looked more like rivers, according to media reports. Some like the Twitter user above were shocked and dismayed by the damage the natural disaster had caused.
Others Showed Concern For Family Members
A Texas-based Twitter user said she was worried about how her family was faring after Harvey.
Texans Were Particularly Proud Of Houston
Texans expressed sentiments of support for Houston on Twitter, as shown in the tweet above.
Other Texans Admired Houston's Unity
For many, Texas is a place of highly controversial conservative politics (like the failed but much-discussed anti-transgender bathroom bill). However, some Texans felt that in this moment of recovery, Texas was showing its true character as Houston came together in post-Harvey efforts.
