How to help victims of Harvey
Hurricane Harvey made a first landfall Friday as a Category 4 storm, slamming Texas with brutal winds and severe flooding, leaving Houston underwater and millions of residents in need of aid. The relentless storm has dropped record-breaking rainfall and made a second landfall Wednesday in Louisiana. Here are some ways you can help.
Red Cross
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recommended that those who want to help victims should donate to the American Red Cross, which he called a “tremendous asset.” A number of other organizations at the national, state and local levels will provide vital assistance to residents in the coming days, weeks and months.
Local and national relief organizations
The Salvation Army, Save the Children, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Heart to Heart and Samaritan’s Purse are all on the ground in devastated areas and seeking donations to continue their response efforts. Texas Diaper Bank is sending out disaster relief kits to those affected. Team Rubicon is an emergency response team made up of military veterans and first responders. Oath (which is the parent company of Yahoo News) offers matching funds for donations to the Red Cross and some other organizations.
Food banks
Feeding Texas is a statewide network of food banks, and Houston Press has compiled a list of food banks serving the area hardest hit by Harvey. That list includes Houston Food Bank, Galveston County Food Bank, Food Bank of Corpus Christi and San Antonio Food Bank, among others.
Pets
Animal welfare organizations will be on the ground helping nonhuman Texas residents. The Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society has a disaster response team deployed to Texas to aid in rescuing animals and supporting shelters. Local shelters like the Houston Humane Society and the Houston SPCA are both focused on Harvey relief, will need money, supplies, food, and foster volunteers.
Blood
Blood donations can be made through the American Red Cross, and Carter BloodCare, We Are Blood and the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center are all Texas-based organizations sure to be seeking increased donations.
Other relief efforts
Airbnb has set up an Urgent Accommodations page, allowing evacuees to find a place to stay for free with the help of those able to offer their space at no charge.
A list of individual crowdfunding campaigns related to the hurricane can be found at GoFundMe’s Hurricane Harvey Relief page. GlobalGiving, another crowdfunding site, is aiming to raise $2 million for a relief fund.
Most of the above organizations have volunteer opportunities available as well.
For more updates on Harvey, click here for Yahoo News’ live coverage of the storm.
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