They did little to help their citizens because they didn't understand how big of a problem it was and weren't afraid. When the depression began, Texans and Texan politicians believed Hoover and industrialists like Henry Ford who claimed that it would be a short thing and wouldn't harm them. This was believed in both rural and urban areas. Nobody prepared for depression because they didn't think it would last, so when they finally understood how big of a problem it was it was already too late.