The category 4 hurricane that has pummeled the Texas coast has left at least five people dead and thousands forced to evacuate their homes due to unprecedented flooding.
Hurricane Harvey has dumped 15 to 25 inches on parts of Texas and though it has been downgraded to a tropical storm, the area is set to see additional rainfall until midweek.
Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that Harvey is “probably the worst disaster the state’s seen” and that the recovery process will last years.
New York experienced its own natural disaster with Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and both the mayor and governor are sending additional support to help Texas cope with destruction. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that he would send 120 emergency personnel including the FDNY’s Incident Management Team and Urban Search and Rescue Rapid Response Team to the state.
After Superstorm Sandy, so many cities stepped up to help our people. We'll do all we can to help those affected by this storm. https://t.co/Op22jkEpqY
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) August 27, 2017
Governo Andrew Cuomo made a similar announcement on Twitter on Aug. 26.
“As #HurricaneHarvey continues to devastate the Gulf, I am deploying emergency personnel and equipment to help aid in the recovery effort,” he wrote.
Roger Gendron, the president of the Hamilton Beach Civic Association, said on Facebook that supplies and aid from states across the country helped his community bounce back after Hurricane Sandy. He is encouraging residents to deliver supplies to the civic association at the Hamilton Beach Labor Day Weekend Family Day Parade & BBQ.
“As a community, we know all too well what the people of Texas are going through,” he wrote. “In the immediate aftermath of Sandy, we received a huge amount of support from all throughout the country. Donations of clothes to personal hygiene products to socks came pouring in from as far away as South Carolina! Those donations were vital in our recovery and now here’s an opportunity to show how much we appreciated everything that was done for us.”
He is asking Queens residents to donate small bottles of bath essentials like shampoo, conditioner and deodorant, dental hygiene essentials, first-aid items, pads and tampons, diapers, underwear and socks. The items will be collected at Hamilton Beach Park on Sept. 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. and sent to the Groesbeck Fire Department in Texas.
The American Red Cross is also taking donations to open shelters and provide supplies to those affected. Visit its website to donate.
Local food banks are also in need of supplies and you can donate to the Houston Food Bank, Galveston County Food Bank, The Food Bank of Corpus Christi and the Southeast Texas Food Bank.
The Greater Houston Community Fund, started by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, has established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to collect tax-deductible flood relief donations.
Queens residents can also donate to the Texas Diaper Bank, which was established in San Antonio in 1997 to “address the diaper gap and its impact on individuals in crisis.”
To help pets affected by the disaster, you can donate to the Houston Humane Society, San Antonio Humane Society and SPCA of Texas.
Is your organization collecting donations for the people of Texas? Let us know and we’ll update this story.
