Donate now to what experts are predicting will be the largest relief effort in U.S. history.
Hurricane Harvey continues to pummel southeast Texas with rainfall, which is expected to continue for several more days. The governor of Texas has characterized the effects of the storm as “one of the largest disasters America has ever faced,” and the administrator of FEMA has said that “Texas is about to undergo one of the largest recovery housing missions the nation has ever seen.” The greatest impact is in Houston, which may get 50 inches of rain before the storms are over.
JFNA and Federations across North America are working on several fronts to respond to the crisis.
According to the National Weather Service, the effects associated with now-Tropical Storm Harvey are “unprecedented” and “unknown and beyond anything experienced.” The news is full of horrific stories of despair and remarkable rescue efforts. Emergency responders have completed thousands of high-water rescues. Travel across the area continues to be severely hampered, if not impossible. Many cars are almost completely submerged under some of the city’s elevated highways. Rain is continuing to fall and the storm appears to be heading back toward Houston. Estimates are that rainfall may exceed 4 feet by the time the storm is done.
We have reached out to every Federation and Network community in the vicinity of the storm. The brunt of the impact is in Houston. Corpus Christi tells us they have “some downed power lines, power poles, uprooted trees, fallen tree branches, fallen fences, lack of power,” but no major issues. San Antonio appears to have been relatively spared. They are helping to provide shelter and accommodation to displaced families from Houston.
Lee Wunsch, the Federation CEO in Houston, evacuated his own home yesterday as a nearby river started overflowing its banks and his entire neighborhood was placed under a mandatory evacuation.
The community is still experiencing heavy rain and flooding. It will be days, even weeks, until they are able to fully determine the extent of the damage. Right now, the most significant thing we can do is raise the funds that we know will be needed to support their clean-up and recovery efforts.
Report from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston
Imagine living in a community that has experienced three major floods in less than two years; and this was the worst one. It is almost unbelievable. We have received half of our total yearly rainfall in just three days and it is still raining.
Schools are closed and mass infrastructure problems caused by flooding have made it difficult to travel and assess the extent of the damage. No one can believe that they are dealing with flooding for the second time in less than a year and, like last time, some of the hardest hit areas are in the hub of Jewish life. Here are photos from the local ABC News affiliate that show what life is like in Houston.
Many of Houston’s large elderly Jewish population had to be evacuated from their residences. Flooding at the Jewish Assisted Living Center resulted in the need to rent a second generator, which was quite costly.
Displaced families are in the process of taking up shelter at nearby schools. Many local residents have organized rescue missions for those that are stranded or unable to help themselves.
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JTA – Dozens of Houston Jewish community families displaced in ‘catastrophic’ flooding
Algemeiner – Texas Jewish Communities Hit by Epic Flooding From Harvey, Relief Efforts Underway
Jewish Journal – Houston Jewish Federation reports community ‘impacted’ by Hurricane Harvey