Photo Courtesy of Mohawkaustin.com
As we are now closing in on two weeks since the first of this catastrophic storm named Hurricane Harvey first reached our Texas shores, I continue to hear daily of more friends or family that have suffered losses, I am filled with so many emotions. I continue to also hear from so many friends and family both here and away, that are checking in on us….thank you so much for that. The support was a great comfort to my family. I am happy to say that we are so grateful that we have survived rather unscathed with only a few power-less hours for my daughter and having her babies with me gave me great comfort during those stressful days. I am, however, deeply saddened by the many stories of some of my extended family and friends that have not been so lucky…….I lived a few years of my adult life in a continuously flooding home and know first-hand how devastating that can be. I am bewildered and grateful as we move on that these victims of the flooding remain safe and that although they have lost many beloved possessions at least their families are intact.
I continue to be inspired by the first responders, the rescue volunteers and shelter volunteers and the trained personnel that have guided these efforts. You have done an amazing job of pulling together. I have found it heart warming to watch neighbor helping neighbor….Houston, you make me proud to be a Houstonian!
So many that I have spoken with this week all have a similar feeling, “survivor guilt”, that is the helplessness that so many of us feel…..we have made several donations from our homes, made runs to buy essentials for these survivors and plan to volunteer in any way that is necessary in coming days. However, for the most part we all ask ourselves what more can we do? I obviously believe very strongly in the power of prayer, no matter what your faith, beliefs or God that you pray to……all of these people struggling right now need as much of that as we can give, so please do continue to pray!
However, if you are also looking for ways to help through donations of money, time or other resources you have to offer, below is an updated list to guide you….and please remember there is no donation too small!
For Donations….
1. American Red Cross….text Harvey to 90999 and make your pledge for $10 or more
2. The United Way…text UWFlood to 4144 (United Way Relief Fund)
3. Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, established by Mayor Turner and Administered by Greater Houston Community Foundation.
4. The Houston Humane Society – please don’t forget our animal friends also devastated by this event.
5. Salvation Army.…helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY
6. Houston Relief Fund…fund-raising page set up by JJ Watt.…over $8.5million as of Thursday evening, aiming for $10 million; will exceed that!
7. Houston Food Bank….
7. The Diaper Foundation.…provides diapers to families in need; diapers are much in demand; are not provided by Government; Hope Ewing’s goal is $100,000! Help her please!
8. Interfaith Ministries….priority now is Meal on Wheels for Seniors; call 713-533-4900; text Interfaithhelp to 243725 for homebound seniors; also Animeals on Wheels for their pets.
9. Houston Children’s Charity….working with Houston’s Astros Player, Carlos Correa on A Better Night’s Sleep distributes beds, sheets, frames, pillows, box springs and blankets to children; Goal: to ensure that every child is put back in a bed once they are able to return to their homes raising $500,000 to distribute 5,000 beds.
10. Hurricane Harvey Relief Hub – 2500 Summer St.; accepting donations and also providing for flood victims thru Sat. 9/9…to be evaluated as to need at that time and may resurface elsewhere.
11. Hand In Hand Telethon – Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund; Tuesday Sept. 12 on all networks, including Fox and for streaming on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; featuring such artists as Beyonce, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Streisand, Reese Witherspoon and many more; one hour on TV; please enjoy the A+ talent and prepare to dig into your pockets for donations to help multiple charities and organizations helping Hurricane Harvey victims!
To Volunteer
1. American Red Cross should be your first call and they will schedule you.
2. BakerRipley has just opened a new relief center at NRG Center that Judge Emmett announced Wednesday evening he wanted to become the regional relief center for outlying counties as well….fully equipped with food, medical care and cots/blankets to accommodate up to 10,000 people. To register to volunteer, contact volunteer@bakerripley.org
3. OpenHouse HTX – “A mission to house displaced hurricane survivors with open houses & hearts” provided by @airbnb
Some good things to know
1. Looking for road accessibility….visit Houston Transit Traffic Manager….http://www.HoustonTranStar.org
2. Checking for high water on roadways…http://drivetexas.org; Texas Dept. of Transportation, Drive Texas site
3. Info on FEMA, shelters, housing, insurance, legal, health, home repairs click on http://harrisrecovery.org
4. Taking item donations to shelters, retailers and/or HH Relief Hub….here is what they really need; however you may want to double-check daily on specifics as Houstonians generosity has been bringing in so many supplies.
Bedding, (sheets, blankets, pillows, etc.) also Towels
Clothing (socks, underwear, sweat shirts, sweat pants….comfort not fancy and demand for large sizes….XL, XXL, and more!)
Non-perishable food – still much needed for displaced families
Personal hygiene items (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc)
Baby Supplies (diapers, diapers and more diapers; wipes, formula, bottles. small toys )
Pet Supplies (food, carriers/crates, leashes, bowls, etc.)
I hope that this list will help you to reach into your hearts and into your pockets to help the many Houston area residents, as well as any friends and/or family in surrounding areas that have fallen victim of this storm. Houston and it’s people are a strong, caring breed that have just been taken back by the severity of this event…..we have already proven that we will reach out and help each other and survive to be stronger than before….with just a little help from our friends!
With gratitude,
Roz