Hurricane Harvey: How to Help Its Survivors

from Washington Post

This past weekend, Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast, becoming the first cyclone to make US landfall since 2005, and has left almost undefinably horrific destruction in its wake. Over the last six days, the initially Category 4 hurricane and subsequent rainfall have drenched the coast and the Houston metro area with over 50 inches of rain, requiring 13,000 rescues (and counting); obliterating the coastal city of Rockport, where it touched down; flooding roadways large and small; displacing many thousands of people, and crippling a metro area of over 6 million people; and causing at current count roughly more than two dozen deaths.

from Washington Post

Though the storm is tracking eastward, potentially causing flooding and displacement in Louisiana, rain continues to fall both in the city of Houston and its environs, rivers, lakes, bayous, reservoirs and dams are at capacity, and highways, streets, and entire neighborhoods remain underwater. A great deal of Houston's critical infrastructure is either under threat or damaged as well. It is the worst recorded flood in Texas history, and recovery will likely take many years. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone there and their family members across the country and globe. The few people I know living in Houston are thankfully all out of direct harm's way, but have no idea when they will be able to return to their homes.

from Washington Post

Both in the near term and the long term, residents of the affected areas are going to need support, from the government and everyone else. In particular, children, the elderly, those who are ill, homeless people, and people with disabilities, to name just a few, will require sustained help. Below are links from reputable news sites with links on how to donate money, blood, food, clothing, funds for clean-up and rebuilding, and more. All Houstonians and residents of the Gulf Coast and states to the east, where rain is currently drenching cities and towns, will need our support. Please scroll through the various agencies, and if you can give something, please do, now and, if possible, down the road. 

Via NPR:

"Here's How You Can Help People Affected by Harvey"

(Links for general relief, blood donations, shelter, food, people with disabilities, children, and animals)

Via Huffington Post:

"Here's How to Help the Victims of Hurricane Harvey"

(This was the first set of links I saw, and it includes crowdfunding links for specific needs.)

Via Colorlines (h/t Ernest Hardy for this link)

"How to Donate and Other Aid to Communities of Color in Houston" 

(More targeted donation options)

Via The New York Times:

"Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Victims"

(A fine list of organizations, with links, to help people in the affected areas)

Via CNN:

"Here's how you can help the victims of Hurricane Harvey"

(Many very helpful links here)

Via Rolling Stone:

"Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief: How to Help"

(Some of the same links as above, with a few different ones)

Via Forbes:

"Helping Out After Hurricane Harvey: Where, When & How to Donate"

(A list with updated links)

More on Haiti, Ways to Help

The post-earthquake news out of Haiti is very bad. According to President René Préval, many thousands of people may have died, and many more are injured. President Préval, speaking of the "unimaginable catastrophe," is appealing for immediate and substantial international help, and noted that he has stepped over dead bodies and has heard cries of assistance from the rubble of the destroyed Parliament building. (All photos below from the Miami Herald.)



The capital city of Port-Au-Prince, home to around 2 million people, has been largely destroyed, and Haiti's arts capital, Jacmel, very close to the epicenter of the earthquake and the aftershocks, which have continued throughout the night and into today, has suffered serious damage. The head of the UN Mission, whose building was completely destroyed, is presumed dead, as is the Archbishop of Port-Au-Prince, who died in the collapse of the one of the many now-leveled churches, and UN peacekeepers from Brazil, Jordan and China are also said to have died.

Last night, Haiti's Ambassador to the US, Raymond Joseph, stressed that the Haitian government is in control, but he was unable to say anything about the fate of lawmakers or those working in the Presidential Palace, beyond asserting that the President and First Lady were fine. Because of the widespread destruction, Haiti is facing a tremendous civil and humanitarian and civil crisis. Without electricity, drinking water or shelter, many people who have survived the quake risk serious illness or death. As I noted yesterday, the US has pledged unqualified help, as have other nations, and search and rescue, reconstruction and other teams have already begun to depart from Santo Domingo, the capital of Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic, and from Florida and elsewhere.


As I appealed yesterday, there are various ways you can help. I know we are all financially stressed these days, but funding is crucial especially in the early days of this horrific tragedy. Options include:

Two very immediate options I've tried and know are working:

You can text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in #Haiti (via Red Cross)

You can text Yele to 510 510 and donate $5 toward #Haiti earthquake relief. (via Wyclef Jean's Yele.org)

Also:

You can go to WhiteHouse.gov for ways to donate to Haiti.

CNN's Impact has a long list.

Doctors without Borders/Médicins sans frontières does excellent work all over the world, and they are active on the ground in Haiti.

Unicef is always a very good option, and the money is targeted towards children.

Fokal.org, recommended by actor Hill Harper, is an NGO that works with Haitian young people. (Supposedly 100% of your donation will directly to relief.)

Oxfam.org's Appeal:


A Spanish video feed: