Help for those in Texas, I am looking for suggestions

[Isaac-1]

Mufrog, things seem to be a bit better here about 90 miles away to your north east on the other side of the Sabine River. We spent part of the weekend helping out at my sister in law's house just outside of Lake Charles, ripping out the floor and walls in there sunken living room which flooded with out 4-6 inches of water. Stores are still reasonably stocked, though there are some shortages, many of the local stores normally get resupplied from warehouses in Texas, which are either in the disaster zone or they are a much longer drive away than normal with so many of the bridges over the sabine closed / flooded, resulting an a 200+ mile detour to get from one side of the state line to the other until today. Just know there are lots of people here in SW Louisiana that will be there to help in the coming days and weeks.

[AtomicRT]

I saw an hour long TV special late last night documenting recovery efforts at several of the major disasters in the last couple of decades. In every case, there were landfill-size piles of unused donated clothes, diapers, food, bottled water, etc. (these turned into mini-disaster sites themselves!) They said the worst thing to do is pack a truck full of supplies and send it. There's nobody to sort through hundreds of random trucks at the other end. The very best anyone can do is donate money to a recognized organization such as the Red Cross. Supplies can then be purchased locally on an as-needed basis.

[CLIFFTALL]

That's what we did ( American Red Cross ). [emoji106]

Originally Posted by AtomicRT

I saw an hour long TV special late last night documenting recovery efforts at several of the major disasters in the last couple of decades. In every case, there were landfill-size piles of unused donated clothes, diapers, food, bottled water, etc. (these turned into mini-disaster sites themselves!) They said the worst thing to do is pack a truck full of supplies and send it. There's nobody to sort through hundreds of random trucks at the other end. The very best anyone can do is donate money to a recognized organization such as the Red Cross. Supplies can then be purchased locally on an as-needed basis.

[Mudfrog]

The water finally went down enough for TxDot to officially open up a couple of lanes on US 69 between Beaumont and Lumberton. I traveled it yesterday to bring my Uncle and some of his belongings up to my Mom's place and to help begin cleanup at his brother n law's who had two foot of water in the house. Tried to get to my uncle's but the area was still inundated with water. We could see how high the water made it up to though, just above the eave.

There is a tremendous amount of work ahead for all of us and help will be much appreciated. Things are getting better with stores and restaurants opening. Even so, some planning ahead needs to be done before just showing up.

[minnow]

Agree with the above. Unless you have a specific person your going to help with a pre-arranged place to stay, just showing up adds one more displaced person to the thousands already there.

Our fire department sent several rescue trucks and manpower after decided that there services would be essential and and never got within 100 miles of Houston. They were assembled in a parking lot with lots of other emergency responders and after sitting in this lot for 3 days, were sent home yesterday. Yeah they had great intentions but other than depriving our community of personnel and equipment if something had gone bad here and burning lots and lots of gasoline getting there and returning home which took that much more out of the limited supply line, they accomplished nothing.

[rkresge]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

I like to donate thru church ministries as I believe the most money or goods actually makes it to the folks in need and is not funneled off to cover overhead and advertising as is done in many "charitable" organizations.

More information can be found here:
https://www.charitywatch.org/charities

Really good suggestion for us all. UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is one of those. It's one of the largest and best-prepared relief organizations in the world. And like many church-related relief organizations, 100% of the money donated to UMCOR goes to disaster relief. 100%, period. Up to you, but you can donate online here: www.umcor.org/donate. Be sure to select "US Disaster Relief".

Right now, the best thing we can do for Texas is financial support. UMCOR is also asking for 'flood buckets', which is nothing more than a 5-gal bucket filled with cleanup supplies. If you want to help with that effort, check in with a local United Methodist church -- you'll probably find that they're involved in preparing flood buckets that will be shipped to the people who need them.

Other church denominations are doing similar things, and in most cases 100% of your gift will reach the people who need it. Not so with Red Cross and certain other 'big name' organizations.

Roger

[Cooperhawk]

I do have some experience in charities so we are careful who we give to. I won't disparage any one in particular but we give to The Salvation Army and the Disabled American Veterans Assn. I am quite certain of the honesty and fairness of these two organizations.

The DAV is already organizing to help vets in the Houston area.

[Kennzz05]

Originally Posted by Cooperhawk

I do have some experience in charities so we are careful who we give to. I won't disparage any one in particular but we give to The Salvation Army and the Disabled American Veterans Assn. I am quite certain of the honesty and fairness of these two organizations.

The DAV is already organizing to help vets in the Houston area.

Same 2 also

[valland]

From my experience in a few weeks there will be rules, regulations, building codes, FEMA qualifiers.

Insurance rules and guidelines you may not have had flood insurance but your policy may covers water damage.

My point if you have experience in handling these administration issues. You will be needed.

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by valland

From my experience in a few weeks there will be rules, regulations, building codes, FEMA qualifiers.

Insurance rules and guidelines you may not have had flood insurance but your policy may covers water damage.

My point if you have experience in handling these administration issues. You will be needed.

There are many people with these qualifications, and many more are pouring into the affected areas. I used to work for a company that supplied experts in insurance and government "in's and outs". We were sent right into the heart of things. A good place to start would be the Disaster Centers that are set up all over. From there they will help you with the best help available.