Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a category 4 hurricane last week, dumping trillions of gallons of water on the southeast coast of Texas and leaving a devastating trail of disaster in its wake. As of September 1, authorities have said that at least 46 people have died, according to the New York Times, and there will most likely be more people found as rescue missions continue and the flood waters recede. Nearly 50,000 Texans took to shelter to escape the floods, but those that evacuated will soon come home to an entirely changed world.
Celebrities and communities all over the country are setting out to help in the relief effort – most recently President Trump said he would donate $1 million to aid those affected by the hurricane. Civilians are travelling to Texas to volunteer their time; companies like Anheuser-Busch are donating provisions; and in Londonderry, NH, townspeople are donating items to be shipped down to Texas and given to those suffering.
The Londonderry Town Hall collaborated with Finders Keepers in Exeter to collect items to send to the residents that were impacted by Harvey. Finders Keepers offers new and used items at thrift-shop prices and works with multiple charities; The organization has been in touch with a few shelters in the Houston area, according to an update by the Londonderry Town Offices’ Executive Assistant Kirby Brown.
The Town Hall collected items until Wednesday, September 6, after which a truck brought the provisions down to Texas for distribution. Items collected included diapers, nonperishable food items, towels, blankets, garbage bags, and toiletries.
One citizen wrote on Facebook that when she went to drop off some items the Town Hall lobby was “overflowing” with donations: “One room was so full they had to traffic into the main conference room, which is also where the Town Clerk married me to the love of my life, so seeing it full of clothes/diapers/ donations made my heart so full.”
The Londonderry Police Department also collected items for those who wished to drop donations off after Town Hall hours. According to Public Information Officer Christopher Olsen, the boxes had been filled more than three times.
Local churches are also making strides to help the relief. The Londonderry Presbyterian Church is urging those who wish to help to go to PCUSA.org, the national website for the Presbyterian Church and donate, or send checks to the Presbyterian Church (USA) at P.O. Box 643700 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Londonderry United Methodist Church (LUMC) will be hosting an event entitled the “LUMC Relief Bucket Packing Brigade” on September 23, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is to make “relief supply kits,” which “help provide care for the most vulnerable people during times of crisis.” The kits will be given to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), who collects hygiene, school, and cleaning kits for distribution within the United States.
UMCOR is currently working with disaster coordinators in Louisiana and Texas to provide relief. Anyone can help put together the kits, it is not limited to church members.
Though Harvey will take years to recover from, the outreach of the U.S. continues to strengthen.