Hundreds of boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables were handed out by the Food Bank of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Monday — nevermind the massive holes in the roof.
Bea Hanson, the agency’s director, said she always appreciates financial or edible donations; the problem is, she’s got no dry place to store incoming food and supplies since Hurricane Harvey ripped two turbines off the building Saturday.
“It literally split open. We have cracks that you can look up and see the sky from inside. Water is pouring in,” Hanson said. “We thought, this building is cinder block, it won’t go nowhere. Well, it didn’t go, but it cracked open.”
As South Texas remains under siege by Harvey, Hanson’s team was in the position of trying to clean up the damage at the same time it was providing services to those in need. And it wasn’t alone.
People across the country who want to help afflicted Texans need to know where their money will make the most impact and help the most people, said the Rev. Joseph Chu, disaster response associate program director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
For example, it’s important to remember a food bank can get more for $1 than others can at a grocery store, Hanson said. Donating money is more useful than food. Sometimes a farmer will donate fresh fruit, but food banks pay for transportation.
As her team tried to keep up with the demand of the hungry crowd — many of them without power — Hanson said, “a number of the employees evacuated the area, and they can’t get back.” Trucks were coming to give her supplies, but she now has less storage space.
The food bank wasn’t going to hand out food Monday, but someone erroneously posted on social media that it would. So it did, Hanson said. Workers packed up 100 boxes and delivered them to the small town of Bishop. They continued boxing, continued sweeping up the water, continued feeding the hungry.
“When my employees showed up to mop the floors and get the water under control at 7 a.m. on a Sunday when they weren’t scheduled to work, I realized it’s not just a job, they really care,” Hanson said.
Across the Lone Star State, it’s evident how much they care. Maura Davies, vice president for communications for SPCA of Texas, went through Hurricane Katrina and witnessed firsthand how difficult things can get when people are forced to evacuate their homes without their pet.
She’s been working tirelessly to make sure that when a “mega shelter” opens in Dallas for as many as 5,000 people at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, there’s an accompanying animal shelter — complete with a complimentary shuttle bus to go visit the animals — nearby at the site of the old Reunion Arena.
“We are so glad Dallas officials are taking this seriously and housing the evacuated animals near the people so they can come visit their pets,” Davies said.
Davies helped clear out more than 120 cats from a no-kill shelter called The Cattery in Corpus Christi, so if separated cats show up in the area following the storm, The Cattery will be able to house them.
It is imperative separated animals remain as close as possible to where their owners last saw them so they know where to look, she said.
The United Way of Houston is preparing for years of rebuilding after the storm. Spokeswoman Sherry Carbonara said, “The devastation is unprecedented.”
The Rev. Michael Stadie, disaster response program director for ELCA, stressed the importance of getting the basics into the hands of people who need help.
“Help doesn’t go to the one who screams the loudest, or the one who’s first in line, it’s people who need it the most,” Stadie said.
In Stadie’s organization, the focus is on making sure people aren’t retraumatized by the dramatic rescues they see on TV, especially considering this week is the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, he said.
Aid from the group will come in the form of project management to rebuild homes, help to get the necessary items to complete a home, such as making sure someone who needs a bed gets one, rather than inflexibly offering a couch to someone who doesn’t need that, Stadie said.
Chu said it is critically important not to send items that haven’t been requested. It makes more work for the volunteers trying to sort supplies.
“We always say in a disaster, please do not send clothes. Do not send items that are not specifically requested to be sent. Even in Hurricane Katrina there were semi-truck loads of clothes that had to be destroyed. People were sending parkas to New Orleans,” Chu said.
Davies said her group even has an Amazon wish list for items it needs.
Government allocations have moved at a slower pace, likely because the storm hasn’t even dissipated yet, officials said. Almost 50 Coast Guard personnel from across the Great Lakes region have departed for areas in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey, officials reported Monday.
Petty Officer Brian McCrum said 47 personnel, two helicopters and four shallow-water boats left the Great Lakes region, which includes Chicagoland, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The two helicopters were from Waukegan, McCrum said, and they were able to fly to Texas, where the crews would receive additional instructions. It wasn’t immediately clear where the boats and other personnel would be stationed when they arrive in Texas.
Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency said the agency’s director, James Joseph, has been in contact with his counterpart in Texas. Illinois also is monitoring Texas’ requests for assistance and its specific needs so regional emergency personnel can effectively assist.
“The last I heard there hadn’t been very many requests at all. There’s a lot of different factors. One is that Texas is a very big state and they may have a lot of their own resources,” she said Monday. “Another is that this is not something that’s going to go away anytime soon. Just because there’s not a lot of requests today … that doesn’t mean that there won’t be more in the future.”
The Illinois National Guard echoed those sentiments, saying its 13,000 troops haven’t been called on to aid the state, which has 20,000 of its own guardsmen.
Each state belongs to the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, the compact is what sent Illinois resources to the Gulf Coast to help, Thompson said. At that time, about 2,500 personnel were sent from Illinois to help with things such as law enforcement, firefighting, and medical assistance, Thompson said.
Those needs have not yet been announced, she said.
Donations can be made through:
Food Bank of Corpus Christi — It needs cleaning supplies such as bleach, toilet paper, toothbrushes and toothpaste and other personal grooming supplies. Monetary donations go the furthest.
Since the food bank cannot currently store much, the network of food banks throughout Texas and the country can backfill what’s needed, indirectly supplying those who need help. If you donate to your local food bank, the supplies could eventually get to those affected by Harvey, Hanson said. You can donate to feedingtexas.org as well.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the group Stadie and Chu work for, is accepting donations. Although faith drives the organization, there is no religious component or expectation to the work they do, helping to rebuild communities affected by tragedies. They are in it for the long haul, the men said, noting that just last month they wrapped up efforts working on Hurricane Sandy – which hit the East Coast five years ago.
American Red Cross — The organization has shelters open and is shipping truckloads of supplies for distribution. Volunteers are also in place.
Salvation Army —It is deploying 42 mobile kitchens — each of which can serve an average of 1,500 meals per day — to staging areas in Dallas and San Antonio. It also will distribute supplies of water, cleanup kits, food and shelter supplies.
United Way — United Way of Greater Houston has established a Flood Relief Fund. Donations will be used to help with both immediate, basic needs and long-term recovery services such as case management and minor home repair.
??????Houston Food Bank — Donations to the Houston Food Bank provide meals in emergencies and throughout the year.
San Antonio Food Bank — It is collecting monetary donations, along with nonperishable goods and supplies like water, baby food, diapers, flashlights and new batteries.
Houston SPCA and SPCA of Texas —These organizations conduct rescues of pets and farm animals, and provide equipment and shelter in emergencies.
Humane Society of Louisiana — It has so far rescued 162 animals from shelters in the hurricane’s path or at risk of flooding.
The Los Angeles Times contributed.
