Houston Strong is more than a slogan.

It is the bravery witnessed when everyday people put their lives at risk by hopping in a flat-bottom boat to rescue absolute strangers. It is the compassion on display when thousands refuse to be satisfied with their own safety and line up to volunteer at rescue shelters. It is the community that emerges when disaster strips away everything else.

As the Atlantic Coast endures the eerie twilight hours before Hurricane Florence makes landfall, we want our friends, families and fellow Americans in the storm’s path to know that our post-Harvey city is sending them all the ‘Houston Strong’ spirit we can muster.

We’re also sending donations and volunteers, and some of Houston’s first responders are already on the way.

Deep red dominates the radar map. A swirling gyre aims for the coast. Millions plan to evacuate, or hunker down, their eyes glued to whatever glowing screen can provide the latest update about Mother Nature’s fury.

We have been there before, and all too recently. We also know that communities in the Carolinas and Virginia have what it takes to endure, survive and recover.

True, Hurricane Harvey’s 50-plus inches of rain presented a different threat than Florence’s 140 mile-per-hour winds. The destructive force of a Category 4 hurricane poses a more immediate danger than the relentless deluge of a stalled storm. The fundamentals, however, remain the same.

Evacuate when ordered. Stay put otherwise — don’t add unnecessary traffic to already crowded freeways. Stock up on water and nonperishable foods. Fill ziplock bags with water and throw them in the freezer. Fill up your bath tubs, too. Charge every device and keep them at 100 percent for as long as you can. Look out for your neighbors, especially the elderly, and make sure everyone has a supply of needed medicines. Look out for children as well, and keep them safe from the traumatic images that will be plastered all over the news and social media.

For Carolinians looking at the challenge before them, the stakes may seem insurmountable.

A little more than a year ago, Houstonians looked out the window and glimpsed the apocalypse — and yet we still stand. We know you will stand strong, too.

We also know what it can feel like to turn to the White House for leadership and compassion, only to get a paper towel roll to the face. If Houston can offer any lesson, it’s that you must grasp ahead of time how this recovery will be different than others.

Lower any expectations of the White House shining a spotlight on your suffering or focusing the nation on your needs. We looked to President Donald Trump for help in the months after Harvey. Instead, he bizarrely and falsely accused Houstonians of pleasure boating during the storm. Just recently, Trump deemed Hurricane Maria an “unsung success,” seeming to ignore that it killed 3,000 Americans. Trump will probably make some insulting claim about Florence, too. Ignore it, and ignore him.

Take solace in knowing that Houstonians won’t be deluded by overly rosy numbers or overly optimistic rhetoric. We know that no disaster is ever an A-plus, and true recovery happens long after the streets dry and the news crews head home.

Ignore the president’s promises to “spare no expense” in the inevitable rebuilding. Trump made similar boasts about Harvey, only to follow up with a paltry bill and inadequate proposals. Our senior U.S. senator, John Cornyn, had to put a hold on a Trump appointee to force a vote on a hurricane recovery package. Your senators should start preparing their leverage now. Houstonians will tell our representatives to stand arm-in-arm with your delegation in Washington, fighting to get everything you need. Hurricane recovery isn’t a project isolated to any one city or state. Storm resilience in an age of climate change must be a national endeavor, from the Ike Dike to the Manhattan Harbor Storm-Surge barrier, and everything between.

During the darkest days of Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians turned to relatively unknown Harris County Flood Control Meteorologist Jeff Lindner as an unexpected source of calm in a storm. As Florence barrels forward, we can only paraphrase his recent post on Twitter: For many this will be a life altering moment. Unimaginable impacts are likely. Heroic, life-saving actions will be required. The upcoming difficult days will present tough challengers that you will overcome — together.

Houston is with you.

#CarolinaStrong