Floodwaters are receding in Texas and Louisiana after rain and flooding of biblical proportions, but the depth of the need for help in the wake of Hurricane Harvey is still becoming clear.

In the space of just a few days, the world watched in awe as nature revealed its majesty in the total solar eclipse, then in horror as unprecedented amounts of rain — trillions of gallons of water — overwhelmed areas along the Gulf of Mexico. Stories about victims swept away by the high water mixed with those of courage and sacrifice, showing Americans at their best when battling the worst.

Offers of help came from all over, including the St. Louis area, where the Jewish Federation urged donors to be generous (https://www.jfedstl.org/how-give/hurricane-harvey-relief-fund/) in helping relief efforts in Houston and elsewhere. The federation noted that several Jewish institutions that flooded on Memorial Day weekend two years ago had flooded again from Harvey’s relentless onslaught, and the federation in Houston said that nearly three-quarters of the Jewish population there lives in areas that saw massive flooding.

Missouri Task Force 1, a crew of nearly four dozen workers sent to Texas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), reported rescuing nearly 400 people from the floodwaters in the first few days of its work in Texas. The University of Missouri-Columbia opened dormitory space as temporary housing to families of students in need.

Anheuser-Busch, as is its tradition, offered thousands of cans of drinking water to those in need in Texas and Louisiana. And local efforts include Jewish Federation of St. Louis collecting emergency relief funds and Central Reform Congregation joining other faith groups to load two semi-trucks with supplies.

Houston residents also were able to take shelter in Jewish summer camps that reopened their facilities or even in a furniture store that turned its mattress showroom into a shelter. Israel will send $1 million to Houston for flood relief, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Even as the extent of the rescue and recover effort was being revealed, attention turned to government policies that may have contributed to the damage caused by the heavy rain, and to what changes could be made to ease emergency situations in the future.

The Associated Press reported that far fewer homes and other properties in the Houston area were protected by flood insurance than five years ago. And many reports pointed to an investigation published last year by the Texas Tribune and ProPublica, titled “Hell and High Water (projects.propublica.org/houston),” asking why the region had not taken better precautions against a monster storm that could bring major disruptions to the area and the nation’s economy.

President Donald Trump pledged massive federal help to rebuild the wrecked areas and help strengthen defenses against future storms. But as with anything in Washington these days, the effort appears destined to smack into political reality.

At the same time the White House said aid is coming, a proposal in Congress would cut nearly $1 billion from the disaster relief account at FEMA. The savings would be diverted to help fund the wall Trump wants to build on the border with Mexico.

With only $2.3 billion left in the agency’s relief account, such a reduction would severely undercut any effort to relieve and rebuild. And many commentators have pointed to hypocritical comments made by Ted Cruz, the Republican senator from Texas, who vocally opposed federal relief efforts when Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeast five years ago but would no doubt appreciate the help for his constituents now.

Plus, a more realistic, analytical look at how climate change might affect current and future wet weather events would be a welcome relief from recent attacks on scientific models and predictions. No one can directly link Harvey to changes in global temperatures, but a federal report known as the National Climate Assessment notes that “human-caused warming” is a major contributing factor.

If there is any silver lining to the storm clouds that ravaged Texas, it may be that this is the perfect setting for partisanship to take a back seat to cooperation in Washington. If the president and leaders of both parties are willing to put aside the bickering and back-biting that have characterized recent debate in Washington, and enact policies that not only aid swift and strong recovery in the flood-damaged areas but help ensure that future storms will do less damage, everyone would benefit.