Hurricane Harvey has taken lives, caused unprecedented damage to property and disrupted the daily routine of hundreds of thousands of people. Such times can bring out the best in us.

We have seen civilians such as the Cajun Navy gather to provide assistance. Non-profit aid groups have provided hastily-arranged shelters and food.

And in times like this government at various levels – local, state and federal – serves the major role of first responder. The government has access to extensive resources in terms of equipment, personnel and funding, allowing it to help in moving people to safer locations, finding shelter, directing traffic and transporting food and supplies to where they are most needed more than other smaller organizations can.

Imagining ourselves in the situation of people in the path of the hurricane helps us realize how unconditionally we want the government at all levels to provide that assistance, and how much we need it right now. 

Soon after such crises, the federal government often plays a much larger financial role as the second responder when the most immediate crisis abates and the massive and wide-spread costs are tallied. 

Currently we are hearing that some of the same members of Congress who voted against providing support for the victims of Hurricane Sandy urging financial support for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Some commentators are asking if this is hypocritical.

This is not the time for “gotcha” politics or payback. 

It is the time to realize we are at our best when we help others in all the creative and resourceful ways we see occurring in Texas and Louisiana now. It is also the time to begin serious, thoughtful and non-partisan discussions about climate change, the increasing frequency and severity of weather events, and how we should plan, build and zone property as we face the certainty of more such events.