Jay Bonafede, Chief Communications Officer at American Red Cross Western and Central New York Region, is stationed in Houston as we speak, but he and Red Cross staff have been working across Texas all week. While this is a devastating time for many, he says what has impressed him most is the way the entire community is coming together to help one another.
Here he tells us more about his experience and what we, as a community, can do to help Hurricane Harvey victims.
“First of all, there’s an amazing team of over 3,000 Red Cross volunteers on the ground, providing immediate emergency assistance such as food, water, and shelter to the hundreds of thousands of families across Texas devastated by Harvey. When I arrived, the first place I went was the mega-shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, a place that over 8,000 people were calling home. When people ask where their donations go, all they needed to do was look over that room for an answer: cots, blankets, food, water, and support for thousands who otherwise would’ve had no place else to turn.”
“A community disaster takes a community response, and the Red Cross is working with dozens partner agencies to ensure that the people of Texas are receiving the support they need. The next day, I spent at First Church in Pearland, just outside Houston, where the congregation teamed up with the Red Cross, Feed the Children, and other agencies to distribute food and cleanup kits to families recovering from the storm. The President of the United States even stopped by to help.”
“This recovery process is going to take weeks, months, years for the people of Texas. I saw a road that was still underwater in Beaumont over a week after the storm, and rows of homes in Houston with piles of debris – including the drywall and carpeting that used to be in their home – destroyed by flood waters. The Red Cross was here before Harvey hit, and will be there for as long as help is needed, while preparing for a large relief effort stretching from the US Virgin Islands up towards Florida and through the mid-Atlantic region. People in the path of this storm should finalize their preparations and listen to local radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates and obey any evacuation orders from local officials.”
The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Irma by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the words HARVEY or IRMA to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Here’s how donations for Harvey are currently being used:
- Overnight, more than 14,000 people sought refuge in 84 Red Cross and partner shelters across Texas (That’s down from over 40k earlier this week). The Red Cross is also assisting the Louisiana state government with emergency shelters, which hosted more than 70 people last night.
- Along with our partners, we have served more than 1.2 million meals and snacks in Texas.
- More than 3,500 Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground in Texas, with an additional 430 on the way. There are also more than 150 helping in Louisiana.
- We have trailers of kitchen supplies on the ground to support 16 kitchens, each able to produce 10,000 meals a day.
- More than 190 emergency response vehicles have been activated to help deliver meals and relief supplies.
- Mental health and health services professionals have provided more than 40,000 contacts to provide support and care to those affected.
- We’ve distributed more than 246,000 relief items like diapers, bug spray, cleaning supplies, coolers, and comfort kits that contain deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene items.
- More than 30 million hurricane and flood alerts have been issued through Red Cross mobile apps for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The apps provide shelter locations and real-time information so people can help protect themselves and their loved-ones.
