NSF Backs Research on Harvey Social Media Help Calls

Project will identify common themes, content types and language that disaster victims use in their calls for help. A Texas National Guardsman carries a resident from her flooded home following Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Aug. Photo by Lt. Zachary West/Army National Guard. AUSTIN, Texas - As Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas coast and inundated the Houston area with rain, residents of the assisted living facility La Vita Bella in Dickinson, Texas, had nowhere to turn as floodwaters began seeping into their facility. As waters rose, residents and staffers were instructed by overwhelmed emergency dispatchers to remain in the facility until help could arrive. Then, a family member of the facility's owner posted a photo to Twitter of residents shown waist-high in murky water, waiting to be rescued.