We watched last month in shock as Hurricane Harvey slammed parts of Texas, with major flooding forcing people to wade through waist-high water or ride to safety in boats.

It was and continues to be devastating, to say the least. People have lost their lives, their homes, their pets and their personal belongings. It will no doubt take months, if not years, for many people living in the affected areas to put their lives back together. Now, we are watching as Hurricane Irma has moved through Florida, also causing death and destruction.

These horrible hurricanes occurred back to back. Mother Nature can be so fierce at times, and these are just two examples of how fierce she can be. What is so uplifting, though, is when events of this magnitude happen, there are always people from across the country willing to help. Whether through donations to the affected areas or traveling to help restore power and provide people with food and shelter, every little bit of assistance helps.

Potter Gray Elementary School teacher Crystal Crum, a Houston native, is doing her part to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Crum, a fifth-grade science teacher, knows what it’s like for kids in her hometown who come from challenging backgrounds. Crum remembers students struggling to get school supplies when she used to teach at Whidby Elementary School. The wake of Hurricane Harvey has only intensified that difficulty.

Although Crum’s mother’s home was spared from damage, she hasn’t yet determined the extent of the damage at Whidby Elementary. She imagines the worst, adding that the school would flood when it rained too hard, which was a fraction of the rain spawned by this hurricane.

We certainly hope that isn’t the case and Whidby Elementary survived the hurricane.

To help out, Crum has raised more than $900 in donations that she used to shop for school supplies for students in the Houston Independent School District, which started school Monday. Crum shopped for pencils, paper, glue sticks, folders and binders for 13 elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools.

Crum’s efforts are to be commended. She is doing her part to help those in desperate need. She also has family in Tampa, so she is going to do what she can for them and other residents in that city as well. Crum didn’t have to do any of this. She did it because she cared about people she’s never even met. She saw people in need and she responded. Our community should be very proud of Crum. We know we are.