I, along with millions of others, have been horrified by the images of the flooding in Texas and the tragic loss of so much life. The devastation of the girl’s camp simply adds a dimension of heartbreak to the already unbearable grief.

But what I find even more terrible and unbelievable than the flood itself is the reaction of our media and political leaders. Instead of showing the most basic empathy and compassion, within hours the majority concerned engaged in the blame-game at breakneck speed. Rather than respond to the needs of the moment, pundits and politicians devoted their time and energy to criticizing, castigating, and condemning.

Responsibility is important, as is accountability. But that isn’t what our leaders were really talking about. A seriously flawed system failed at the worst time possible, but no one can reasonably expect an accurate prediction of a river rise of 24 feet in less than an hour. Many natural disasters defy common sense and test the limits of natural law, but this is why we call them disasters. Have poor decisions been made in the past that added to the catastrophic impact? Undoubtedly. And what possible benefit or comfort does that provide to the people who lost loved ones?

In the face of human-made and natural disasters, what is the moral, ethical, spiritual, and just response? Care for the people. Yes, pray, but act as well. Donate if you can. Write to local, federal, and state officials to support disaster response and relief efforts. Write, call, text anyone and everyone who has any influence to restore and fully fund FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) [Because, let’s be honest, state-by-state response, preparedness, and capacity is widely divergent and grossly inadequate). Support police, firefighters, EMTS, first responders of all sorts, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, social service agencies. Volunteer where you live to make sure that there are adequate caregivers if and when disaster strikes.

Tragedies like this will occur, and we do not need hostile, politically motivated hate speech compounding the pain and suffering. When disaster strikes, we much stand together, setting aside snide and petty differences, committed to providing comfort, care, and relief to those whose lives have been irreparably harmed. Shame on us when we turn the loss of human life into one more weapon of mass media destruction.