My name is Lily Austin, and I am one of the recently hired interns for RedEye Post. I am a current resident of Washington D.C. and have been for the past seven days. Before living in Washington D.C. I had lived in Houston, Texas for the last 20 years. The transition of moving from one environment to the next is stressful in general, but leaving home behind with the idea in my back pocket that when I make my return return it will be in ruins is terrifying. I am human, and I am inherently selfish. I am not proud to say that for the first few days of following the storm I could not look beyond the consequences of what Harvey has and will continue to destruct in my family’s life. But, as time goes on the human heart has another inherent need to protect their pack. Once this shift of mindset happened to me I decided to stop researching in a cloud of self-wallow and do a little more in-depth exploration on the situation as a whole.
With 30 percent of Harris County submerged, the waters continue to exceed throughout parts of Houston and overwhelm almost all of the city’s expectation to what Harvey had in store for them. On almost every major news site, paper, or app every headline has some form of new information or opinion on Harvey and our future. It is not uncommon to see pictures of homes destroyed, rivers instead of highways, and a copious amount of people stranded in shelters scattered all around Houston. The death toll in a matter of 48 hours has shot up from three confirmed to now almost forty confirmed deaths. I cannot open my social media without a flood* of posts about my friends and family whose lives seem to be dissipating at their fingertips.
Being in Washington D.C. during this time on a personal level is hard. But, on a larger scale, I understand I am receiving a perspective I would have never had the opportunity to have unless I was here. I am writing about something I hold very dear to my heart. I am passionate about Houston. I am passionate about wanting to have voices heard who may feel voiceless. I am passionate about trying to balance out the levels of “deepening human misery” and unconditional love Houstonians have shown for each other during this particular time.
For a substantial amount of time headlines have been taken over by adversity The United States has for one another. We are simply not in a peaceful era. No matter what your political party, sexual orientation, race, gender, and religious values are not one sub category is at liberty to say that America is a lifestyle based on equality and acceptance. It becomes hard to stomach when the idea of love and passion for change is powered by showing animosity towards someone who holds a different opinion than the other. I have even seen articles on how this hurricane has been a sign of ‘karma’ or other times people have casted out judgments like ‘hypocrisy.’ I am a part of the guilty party that has become so numb to tragedies happening all over our country because of the significant number of crimes and devastations displayed constantly on the news and internet. My heart has grown cold and cynical and hard, but it is never until something in your world shakes you to the reality that life is beyond the tragedies glowing from our television screens. They are happening all around us.
It is absolutely mind blowing that Houston, the fourth largest metropolitan city in America has been able to set aside any pre conceived notions of their surroundings and come together as one. The flood did not target; the waters do not show prejudice. Everyone is affected. Everyone is suffering. From my understanding Houston, as I said before, is a large metropolitan area on an entirely flat surface of land. Our drainage system is supported by a bayou system that is 150 years old. As the old drainage system is slowly updated throughout the years, places that used to flood were not affected as severely as floods have before. There is no zoning and development is unregulated. People residing in certain areas of Houston that have never experienced flooding before are currently in the process of being physically rescued from their homes in life boats. Houston’s focus is to support its growth and rapid up to date urbanization. Because of this, there is more concrete and less green space and therefore, no place for the water to physically drain. I only throw out these different facts to emphasize that this storm had no prepossessed bias. As humans we may be prideful, we may be cynical, we may be numb, but in times of incomprehensible depredation that is when our true instincts come out. We are able to rise above calamity in times of animosity. We have that ability and have seen it firsthand.
I am not naive enough to ignore and not recognize the reality that there is an unrelentingly long road ahead. Some people’s journey will be longer, harder, and dimmer than others. People have lost absolutely everything they have worked their entire life to obtain. Over 195,000 people have filed insurance claims struggling to get any kind of jump start to building up their lives from the ground up. The process will be long and tiring, and most of it will seem like the journey is never ending. But at the end of the day we must bond together and rebuild. We must not coward down. This is not a time to sit idly by and be numb to the tragedy of what Houston has gone through. There is no fine line. Be aggressive about helping. Even though our world is now physically shaken we will unite and find triumph.
How can I help?
I am glad you asked! I have taken the time to compile a list of local organizations around Houston accepting donations for the sole purpose of beginning the restoration process of Hurricane Harvey. This exhaustive but limited list provides you the ability to donate to all aspects of areas in Houston in need. Including but not limited to: monetary and/or supply donations to the LBGTQ community, animal rescues, the food bank, wild life centers, the homeless, shelters throughout the city, and many more.
- Baker Ripley: Local non-profit organization taking donations for long-term disaster relief and currently operating the shelter at NRG Park
- Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston: Help donate “emergency needs such as clothing, food and medical supplies to refurnishing their houses to create homes”
- LBGTQ Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund: Help donate to “homeless youths, seniors, people living with HIV, hate crime survivors, and those devastated by the storm. Primarily focusing on empowering the LBGTQ community to rebuild [they] serve all people in need regardless of their sexuality.”
- Houston Food Bank: Every $1 donated provides 3 meals
- Houston PetSet Disaster Relief Organization: Providing financial aid to a variety of non profit animal societies
- Wildlife Center of Texas: This organization requests donations for displaced wildlife. This local organization “receives no local, state, or federal funding to nurse displaced wildlife hurt or orphaned by the storm.”
- SHAPE (Self-Help for African People through Education) Community Center: This local organization’s mission is “to improve the quality of life for people of African descent (all people) through programs and activity with [an] emphasis on Unity.’
- Food Relief for Texas Children’s Hospital: Texas Children’s Hospital is running low on supplies as well as a damaged facility. You can donate here!
- https://www.youcaring.com/texaschildrenshospital-916255
- Portlight Strategies: helps “refer people with disabilities who may be in the affected areas to locate services and resources they may need”
- Trans Disaster Relief Fund: Help specifically donate to the trans gender community, “a historically underserved community” rebuild after Hurricane Harvey.
This is just a few of the many diverse ways you can donate in order to help join in on the journey to help rebuild Houston. A very big special thanks to Houstonian Magazine for helping provide this list of local organizations in desperate need of time, money, and supplies.
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