So you're saying that the people in Texas who go back won't ask the authorities for ANY help? No electricity, no water, no sewage, no police patrols, etc.? Because is a lot of those places that's what they are going to face.
That's not what I said at all.
What I said was that they would go back in full awareness and acceptance of the fact that "the authorities" might not be able to provide those things, that they understood that those comforts and necessities are not unconditionally "owed" to them, and that that reality would not deter those who are able from stepping-up and pitching-in to do whatever they could.
I think you're missing an essential point in this discussion. The Texans who will be going back immediately are not the helpless, the sick or the elderly. Most of those folks will have enough sense to hold off till they know their needs can be met.
The folks who'll go in first are the able-bodied, who will be well-equipped with food, fuel, tools, weapons and all the necessary gear to handle the conditions they'll encounter while they set about cleaning-up and repairing their communities. It's really no different than going on an extended camping trip or wilderness expedition.
Furthermore, these people will not be in the way of the authorities, but will in fact be of immense help to them in re-establishing the security and safety of their communities. The elderly, the infirm, et al. can return later after the situation has improved.
Texas is simply not like New Orleans (nor is the rest of Louisiana like NO). Also, while I'm a native Tarheel and love North Carolina, it's not quite like Texas either. I'm near Wilmington, and have been through Hurricanes Fran, Floyd, Ophelia and the others, and I'm proud of how we have learned to handle ourselves.
I've also lived in Texas for many years, and in my work I traveled the entire state, something many native Texans never get to do. There is a different mindset there, and it transcends politics.
Texans will get the job done, and they'll do it differently than Louisiana, and differently than North Carolina. Trust me, and trust them.
Most of them will set up their own police patrols, dig their own latrines, have brought their own water, and wait for the electricity to be turned back on.