There really are no words to describe what is going on in Houston right now. The news has a few: “catastrophic, unprecedented, & indescribable.” My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the city, from the first responders to those in shelters, to those watching the water creep up their driveways. It seems that nobody is out of the clear just yet and it’s absolutely terrifying. Thank goodness there are so many ways that we can help those in Houston even though we are so far away. I’m sharing details on that, how we are holding up and why I think Houston will get through this stronger than ever! More below.
I spent the weekend shutting out my normal reality and was glued to the news. Obsessing over every single tweet and report trying to find out what was going on back home. We are so incredibly thankful that we made the decision to evacuate when we did. We have been staying with Patrick’s family in Mississippi for the past four days and will probably be here until the end of the week … or longer.
This morning when I woke up I told myself I can’t just stalk the news again ALL day long and do absolutely nothing.I need to get back to any sort of “normal” that I can – not only for my mental health but in case there is any way I can help those in Houston from far away too. So alas, I’m back to blogging. This time instead of talking about clothes I’m chatting about how EVERYONE can help those in Houston right now.
American Red Cross
Apple has made it easy to donate directly to the American Red Cross through iTunes here.
You can also Donate By Text. To donate, text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is helping to shelter men, women, and children across the affected areas. You can donate directly here.
Food Bank
If you are in Texas, you can find the closest food bank here. There is also a list of local organizations that will be able to transport your food to those in need here.
Physical Donations to Shelters
If you’re stuck at home in Houston and fortunate enough to not have flooding while still having power, now is a good time to go through your closets and find items to donate. So many people have lost everything. Any extra clothing and shoes you can donate will help tremendously.
The SPCA
Animals need our help too! The SPCA of Texas is taking in hundreds & hundreds of animals from shelters across Texas that are no longer safe. You can donate here to help defray the cost.
Texas Diaper Bank
Having a baby of my own, I can’t imagine all of a sudden having ZERO access to diapers. This is a huge need for not only children but also the elderly. Please consider a financial donation or a physical donation of of dipaers & wipes to The Texas Diaper Bank.
AirBNB
If you live within driving distance to Houston, you can host someone by listing your home on Airbnb for free, with no service fees to anyone. Most of the listings are in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. If you have a space to share you, consider listing it to the over 30,000 displaced individuals.
Donate Through Amazon
Amazon is sharing an EASY way that you can donate physical products directly to the Red Cross. They will ship them and everything. Check out the list of needed items & more details on how to donate here.
—
We’re still waiting on news of how our neighborhood is faring. I know the surrounding streets to ours have received lots & lots of water. We live pretty close to Meyerland, which has been completely evacuated for the most part. Seeing footage of the streets I drive on every day, my local Starbucks, my grocery store, my favorite Mexican restaurant, all under water is truly chilling. We figure that “no news is good news” when it comes to our home. Our neighbors are weathering the storm in Houston and have kept us up to date on what’s going on.
At this point, it’s when you realize that physical possessions truly don’t matter. Viewing all of the rescues of evacuees on the news, it’s like “I don’t even care if my house floods as long as everyone in my neighborhood/Houston can get out safe.” We’ve talked about what we think we’ll have to do if we lose everything and it’s terrifying to think about. But we feel so fortunate to have a wonderful and supportive family that we know will take care of us no matter what happens. Those who have nothing left and no place left to go are the ones who truly need our help. Our donations help stock the shelters, feed the rescuers and provide the displaced Houstonians with resources that they desperately need.
Texas is holding true to its reputation and remaining strong as ever. Watching the footage of Texans coming together, knocking on doors, checking on neighbors, bringing out their boats to help in any and every way that they can is absolutely amazing. Harvey won’t keep the lone star state down for long. But please continue to keep praying for Houston and everyone else in Texas that was affected & is still being affected by Hurricane Harvey. The storm still has no plans for stopping and we are not out of the woods just yet.
—
And as always, thanks for stopping by the blog.
xo, alice
—
photos by Ban Avenue
