The Democratic Party

of Hood County, Texas

Hurricane Harvey Aid

September 14, 2017

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Texans Pitch In

All the citizens of Texas have been directly or indirectly affected by the ravages of Harvey. Irma has been getting the lion’s share of coverage for the past week, but Harvey is still being felt in Texas and will be for many months, if not years. Texans have stepped forward with donations and actual hands-on assistance. The recovery has just started, and we need to continue with our recovery efforts.

Cash is King

Cash donations are the best method for providing assistance as they allows funds to go to the victims of the disaster by enabling them to purchase the items such as food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. Cash donations put money in the hands of organizations who are active in the direct rebuilding and who have better knowledge of the items they need to carry out their work.

Personal Assistance is Difficult

If you choose to provide personal assistance to the rebuilding and recovery process, then you need to be able to provide assistance and not become a part of the problem. To be able to give personal assistance, you will have to provide your own housing, transportation, water, food, and tools. You should have special skills in home-building, infrastructure, medicine, and/or counseling. Additionally, you need to be healthy and physically fit. The restoration of coastal Texas will require a volunteer to work long hours under difficult conditions.

Beware of Scam Artists

As stated earlier, cash is probably the best way to provide assistance, but you need to beware of scams. The Houston Chronicle provided a list of responsible agencies that included the following: Houston Food Bank, Texas Diaper Bank, Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, United Way of Greater Houston, Jewish Foundation of Greater Houston, Samaritan’s Purse, and the Salvation Army. There are many other trusted organizations, but you need to be aware of criminals who take advantage of these disasters.

The internet makes it easy for scam artists to operate successfully. It is easy to establish a website using hurricane related photographs with a link that enables donations through PayPal, which means that the funds you donate may end up in the personal bank account of criminals. Be sure you properly vet anyone asking for hurricane donations. If you discover a fraudulent website, then report it to the FBI, the local police, or the Department of Public Safety.

Texans Stick Together

Texans have shown tremendous resilience, endurance, and generosity. Keep up the good work with the knowledge that restoration of Harvey’s destruction will be a lengthy process. The strength of Texas is our ability to rebuild the damage wrought by Harvey. The welfare of the people of Texas is the core of that strength, and it can be measured as the degree to which we help those in need.

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