Harvey holds lessons for South Florida.

Neighbors helping each other escape rising waters, and a flotilla of volunteers coming from across Texas and beyond, show resiliency and compassion that not even Hurricane Harvey’s drenching rains can sink.

In a country bogged down by political divisions, racial strife and economic hardship, the rush to help Houston and other communities suffering from the storm shows what’s good about America.

Houstonians are wading house to house to make sure their neighbors are safe. A parade of pickup trucks and SUVs towing fishing boats, airboats and anything that floats is answering the call for volunteers to join the rescue.

And across the country, people overwhelmed by images of families fleeing swamped homes are starting fundraisers and other efforts to help Texans recover and rebuild.

The state of Florida over the weekend began sending dozens of boats and rescuers to Texas to help those still stranded.

In addition to state help, Florida utility companies are sending repair crews to join work restoring services in Texas. Also, fire-rescue crews from Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Hillsborough, Orange and Seminole counties are among those going to help Texas, according to the News Service of Florida.

“Hurricane Harvey was the largest storm to impact Texas in more than 50 years and it is crucial that we continue to work together to help our fellow Gulf Coast state during their time of need,” Gov. Rick Scott said Monday.

For all the good to be found in the rush of support and cooperation focused on Texas, questions and criticism will grow as the shock of the storm’s devastation gives way to frustration from the prolonged suffering of those in its path.

The city of Houston’s decision not to push for an evacuation before the storm arrived is already being questioned, along with decades of allowing sprawling development in areas prone to flooding.

The volunteer armada helping rescue flood victims is impressive, but it’s also a reminder that state and federal reinforcements of boats and helicopters can’t ever seem to respond fast enough when big storms hit.

And while Texas leaders have been quick to praise President Donald Trump’s immediate disaster declaration — to help speed federal aid — the true test for his administration will be how soon federal help translates to temporary housing, emergency home repairs and other relief.

Helping Texas should be the country’s immediate focus, but South Florida especially can’t afford to ignore the warning signs and lessons that come from communities overwhelmed by Harvey’s flood waters.

South Florida towns, stretched across what was once the Everglades, rely on a vast network of canals, levees and pumps just to survive typical summertime rainstorms.

They likely wouldn’t be able to keep up with rainfall close to Harvey’s historic drenching. Even a lesser storm that lingers too long could prove too much to prevent flooding, especially if a storm damaged pumps or fallen trees clogged drainage canals.

Adding to the risk, much of the aging infrastructure South Florida relies on to guard against flooding is overdue for refurbishment.

Despite a rehab backlog, the South Florida Water Management District for the seventh year in a row is planning to cut its property tax rate — losing out on the chance to spend more beefing up flood protections.

Likewise, the federal government has yet to complete its slow-moving rehab of Lake Okeechobee’s more than 70-year-old dike.

That 30-foot-tall mound of rock, shell and sand that keeps the lake from flooding South Florida is considered one of the country’s dikes most at risk of failing.

Since 2001, the federal government has already spent about $870 million to reinforce portions of Lake Okeechobee’s leaky dike. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, finishing the repairs will cost nearly $1 billion more and take until 2025, unless Congress starts sending more money south.

South Florida shouldn’t have to wait that long for the federal government to shore up a levee so vital to guarding against flooding.

And while each rescue in Houston brings a story of survival and hope, it’s also a reminder of the need for South Florida and the rest of the country to get ready for the storms to come.