Hurricane Harvey has caused the death of 45 people thus far, while uprooting and disrupting the lives of thousands more. According to Chron, over the course of only one night, 17,000 people were forced to abandon their homes and seek out shelter. More than 45 shelters have now cropped up around Houston, making use of schools, churches, and whatever other areas that can be provided; however many are still waiting on supplies and resources from FEMA and the Red Cross.
The damage rained down by Hurricane Harvey has been traumatizing for everyone involved; however, those living in the shelters have been particularly affected, having lost everything in its wake.
Despite the tragic circumstances, one group of evacuees staying at the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center shelter made the most of their circumstances, turning to music to raise their spirits in an incredible way.
The video, uploaded to Facebook by Joni Villemez-Comeaux on August 29th, 2017, shows a group of evacuees standing in a circle in the shelter.
The woman wearing the white dress, towards the back of the room, seems to be the star of the show.
When the 2-minute video begins, the group is already in the midst of their song, singing an upbeat, gospel tune entitled “Spirit Break Out” by Kim Walker-Smith.
“Spirit break out, break our walls down. Spirit break out, Heaven come down.”
The group act as the background singers while the woman in the white dress, later revealed to be Victoria White, sings solos with a powerful set of lungs.
As the song continues, the crowd around her seems to grow, and people seem to be getting more and more worked up by the lyrics, tapping their feet, and clapping their hands.
“King Jesus, You’re the name we’re lifting high, your glory shaking up the earth and skies…”
In light of the disaster, the group’s participatory song is a powerful pick-me-up. In a 2015 article published in Frontiers in Psychology, the authors state that music is an effective way of dealing with trauma.
“Music can play a role in helping individuals and communities to cope with trauma, whether it be through the intervention of music therapists, community music-making programs, or individual music listening.
“Music therapy researchers argue that the benefits of musical activities include: mood improvement, self-expression, catharsis, facilitating grieving, relaxation, reflection, socialization, community building [and] stress reduction”
Since being posted, the amazing video has gone viral, garnering over 18M views.
Following the media attention, Victoria White, the singer in the video, took to Facebook to issue a reminder:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
So this just broke out in the shelter…
Posted by Joni Villemez-Comeaux on Tuesday, 29 August 2017
