Reports of widespread looting in the Hurricane Harvey diaster area continue to stream in, with the situation in some places so bad that residents are increasingly feeling the need to take matters into their own hands to defend what’s left of their private property.
Houston’s KHOU reports that a number of homeowners in Atascocita in Harris County are making a concerted effort to stop the looters who are roaming the area looking to take advantage of the devastation caused by the Category 4 hurricane. More and more neighbors are putting up signs warning looters what to expect if they try to steal their property.
“Warning!! Looters will be shot dead,” reads one sign.
“U Loot we will shoot,” reads another.
[[{“fid”:”24437″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Screenshot: KHOU”},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Screenshot: KHOU”}},”attributes”:{“title”:”Screenshot: KHOU”,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]
KHOU spoke with one of the residents sending a message to looters, stage 3 cancer survivor Lois Woolley, who said she’s “had enough” of the criminals preying on Harvey victims.
“I had enough,” she said. She claims she saw strangers poking around Sunday, grabbing possessions so flooded homeowners could try and rid their house of mold as they wait for FEMA inspectors.
“The reality is, everything we own is out on the street,” said Woolley.
“This one says this is my home, not trash,” she read aloud as she toured the five signs she spray painted on damaged doors.
[[{“fid”:”24438″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Screenshot: KHOU”},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“2”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Screenshot: KHOU”}},”attributes”:{“title”:”Screenshot: KHOU”,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”2″}}]]
The outlet also spoke with Woolley’s neighbor, Chel Bailey, whose sign was only slightly more subtle than some of the others:
“Nothing inside is worth dying for,” Bailey’s sign read, with an image of a target human silhouette with bullet holes in it.
The looters “want to take things, thinking that it’s for grabs,” Bailey told KHOU.
[[{“fid”:”24439″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Screenshot: KHOU”},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“3”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Screenshot: KHOU”}},”attributes”:{“title”:”Screenshot: KHOU”,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”3″}}]]
As The Daily Wire has reported, the looting situation has been bad from the start. Looters have been pillaging homes and businesses and threatening residents and volunteers, including at one point even opening fire on a volunteer rescue team.
Houston prosecutors, however, have made clear that they are going to bring the full weight of the law against those arrested, calling for maximum sentences, which are far more severe in crisis situations. As Houston’s ABC 13 pointed out, while burglarizing a home usually carries a penalty of two to 20 years in prison, in a crisis situation the potential penalty rises dramatically, from five years to life.