FLASH STAFF REPORT
ERATH COUNTY (August 28, 2017) – With Hurricane Harvey still hitting the Texas Coast three-days after making landfall, many local residents are already in South Texas or planning to head that direction soon, The Flash Today is trying to compile a list of ways to help.
Local first responders including Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue members, Stephenville Fire Fighters and the Texas National Guard stationed in Stephenville are already on scene. Below are photos of the 236th Engineers out of Stephenville, who spent over 12 hours Sunday, going house to house to help citizens of Houston after the city was inundated with record breaking rains in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. These photos were taken by the National Guard and used with their permission.
WAYS TO HELP LOCALLY
• The Graham Street Church of Christ is accepting donations at the Family Center until 12 p.m. noon on Wednesday, August 30, when a group is headed south. Suggested items include batteries, bleach, canned food and crackers, gas, water and anything else folks who are displaced might need. For more information, contact Ashleigh at 254-592-5686.
• The First Baptist Church of Stephenville is working with Tri-Rivers Baptist Association, which is sending a mobile laundry unit to the area. The unit will aid the efforts by washing clothes for relief volunteers and locally, the church is accepting donations of liquid laundry soap to be used for the trip. If you wish to donate, bring the soap to the church office 555 W. Washington Street in Stephenville.
• Linda Latimer, a resident of Houston who is was staying with her daughter in Stephenville during the storm, is collecting fans for flood victims. Drop off is at the Stephenville Public Library beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
• Dublin Realty has a drop-off location and will be taking all donations to the Houston area as soon as they get a load ready. Items needed: WATER, new toiletries & hygiene products, baby formula & diapers, food, dish soap, hand soap and sanitizer, water and non-perishable foods. Also, blankets, pillows, pillow cases, cots, air-mattresses, small toys for kids because the kids are going to need something to focus on. Contact Melanie Eason or Darrell Laxson @ Dublin Realty 254-734-5515 or 254-485-0517.
• Pet Supplies Plus – Stephenville will be collecting items for the displaced animals. Things needed badly are dog food, cat food, pet crates, blankets, cat litter, puppy pads, pet beds and blankets. Contact them at 254-965-7387 for more info.
• Texas Legacy Insurance Group locations will be collecting much needed donation items so they can forward them to their Southernmost agency located in Seguin. They already received displaced residents, local shelters, emergency responders, the Red Cross and more are in desperate need of bottled water, hand sanitizer, non-perishable food items, toothbrushes, toiletry items, toilet paper & several other items. Their Our next load will also include tarps, 3″ screws, ropes & building supplies. Many people have broken windows with no way to keep the rain out since hardware & supply stores are virtually sold out of key supplies.
TO HELP THE CHILDREN
To help kids affected by this storm, consider donating to the Texas Diaper Bank, a San Antonio based organization, who is putting together relief kits for families with very small children in need of clean diapers. Or Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi. This children’s hospital is much like Cook’s Children’s Hospital in that it serves a LARGE area including much of the area where Harvey came ashore. They are currently accepting monetary donations as well as various items needed. Check their website for more info.
TO HELP THE ANIMALS
Many animals were also displaced by Harvey as the SPCA of Texas is working with Austin Pets Alive! and other organizations to help the hundreds of pets uprooted by the storm. They are in need of volunteers to foster, as well as numerous supplies including, but not limited to, large plastic or metal bins with lids to store food, leashes and collars, cat litter, large brooms, cat-specific beds, and liquid laundry soap. According to one post, Austin Pets Alive! reported they were not currently in need of creates or food as they have plenty at this time.
TO GIVE FOOD
Another way to help would be by donating to local food banks like the ones listed below:
Houston Food Bank
832-369-9390
houstonfoodbank.org
Galveston Food Bank
409-945-4232
galvestoncountyfoodbank.org
Food Bank of the Golden Crescent (Victoria)
361-578-0591
victoriafoodbank.org
Closed Friday
Corpus Christi Food Bank
361-887-6291
foodbankcc.com
Southeast Texas Food Bank (Beaumont)
409-839-8777
setxfoodbank.org
Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley (Pharr)
956-682-8101
foodbankrgv.com
Brazos Valley Food Bank (Bryan)
979-779-3663
bvfb.org
Central Texas Food Bank (Austin)
512-282-2111
centraltexasfoodbank.org
San Antonio Food Bank
210-337-3663
safoodbank.org
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