Telugus in Texas get timely help

Hyderabad: Southeast Texas has come to a standstill due to the tropical storm Harvey, which is recorded as one of the heaviest storms in the United States of America. And in this distressful situation, all the Telugu (like Telugu Association of North America) and Indian communities in Houston, Sugar Land, Woodlands and other storm-hit regions are coming forward to help. The major Indian restaurants have been supplying free food to the people who are stuck in their work places or houses.

Also, the families there claim that the weather has improved and they have seen the sun for the first time in three days (Tuesday afternoon). “There are around 50,000 Telugu families in Houston and most of them are trying to provide food or shelter to the people in distress. Many Telugu families in Sugar Land have been evacuated before the situation got worse but the people who are stuck there are also receiving aid.

Thankfully, the weather is improving, as the rains stopped today (Tuesday) afternoon,” said Srinivas Gottipatti, member of TANA, who lives in Katy city in Texas. He further added that the city Mayors had issued curfew from midnight to 5 am on Wednesday, as many cases of burglary had been reported.

Indian restaurants like Hyderabad House, Universal Bakery, Biryani Pot and many others have delivered food to thousands since the storm hit the city. Also, numerous Indian families opened their houses to the citizens whose houses have been flooded with water. Owner of Hyderabad House restaurant in Woodlands, Chandramouli, said, “We’ve seen continuous rainfall for 7 hours and this is recorded as the worst landfall storm that hit the country.

The reservoirs have been filled up and gallons of water is being released. The water level reached up to 6 to 7 feet in some areas. Numerous people are stuck in their workplaces or have run out of food. So, we wanted to provide meals to these people and I personally door-delivered packets to many people. We’ve distributed around 500 boxes of food and our chefs also have been working round the clock.”

The volunteers are commuting by heavy vehicles like trucks or SUV’s to move people to safety or deliver basic amenities. Some of the Hyderabadis studying in Houston said that they had to desert their vehicles in the middle of the road as floodwater damaged their engines.

“On Saturday, I was going to my workplace and the water level was too high at a point due to which my car broke down. Many of my friends also faced a similar situation. One of my friends got stuck in his office and hasn’t reached home since Saturday,” said K Raghu, a student of University of Houston- Clear Lake.

Speaking about the medical aid, Dr Bhavana Rao, doctor at Meridian Springs Primary Care in Harris County Downtown, said, “Most of the hospitals are shut down and there is minimal medical care available and the ERs that are open are overwhelmed. I received about 10 calls everyday regarding child care and physical injuries.

Though the weather has toned down, the aftereffects will be there for more than three weeks and we are yet to face that part.” Satish Vemana, president of TANA, said even the government was diligently working to help the citizens. They’ve deployed navy and army forces too.

By: Tera Sneha Reddy