How to help Houston after Hurricane Harvey

When tragedy strikes, the thing we do best as humans is help. Houston is the center of tragedy right now, as flooding from Hurricane Harvey has put parts of the city under water. Some deaths have been reported, and thousands of residents have relocated. Even though they’re safe, it takes an enormous, collective effort from all of us to support them during these terrible times.

We encourage everyone to help if they can, for as much as they can. People from the surrounding areas are volunteering their time, their living spaces, and even their boats. For everyone else, you can donate your money to support those people.

If you’re in or near Houston with a boat, you can coordinate your help with the sheriff’s office here.

If you want to make sure your donation will be impactful, Vox has a general charity giving guide here.

CHARITIES AND HOW TO DONATE

All of the following charities are supporting Hurricane Harvey relief in Houston and are rated three stars or higher (out of four) on CharityNavigator.org.

GLOBAL GIVING: An international organization that supports local charities and organizations. You can donate here.

SAVE THE CHILDREN: An international organization focused on children, making sure they have a healthy start to life. You can donate here.

DIRECT RELIEF: An international organization that provides emergency relief and helps equip local health providers. You can donate here.

AMERICARES: An international organization that has deployed an emergency response team to Houston and focuses on health. You can donate here.

RED CROSS: An international network of emergency relief. You can donate here.

INTERNATIONAL RELIEF TEAMS: An international organization providing more than a thousand personal hygiene kits to flood refugees in Houston, among other emergency services. You can donate here.

PORTLIGHT: A U.S.-based organization that will help displaced residents who have disabilities or otherwise need special care. You can donate online here if you scroll down their main page.

HEART-TO-HEART INTERNATIONAL: An international organization which will help provide medical supplies. You can donate here.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF: An international volunteer organization which is providing emergency relief. You can donate here.

LOCAL CHARITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

You may feel it’s more effective to donate directly to local charities. Here is a list you could consider and links to donate.

AIRBNB: If you can offer up room locally for displaced residents and evacuees, or if you need a place to stay, AirBNB will help facilitate that. Here’s more information.

SOUTH TEXAS BLOOD & TISSUE DONATION: You can donate here. Local residents can also donate blood in person.

TEXAS DIAPER BANK: You can donate here.

HOUSTON SPCA: You can donate here. (SPCA is an animal shelter and is also taking in stray or displaced pets.)

CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK: You can donate here.

SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK: You can donate here. Many displaced Houston residents will be relocated to San Antonio.

COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS: An umbrella organization coordinating shelters and organizations across Houston. You can donate here.

For a longer list of local food banks, visit here.

Other resources for those helping or those affected

Here’s an interactive map that shows different shelters, pet shelters, and food distribution centers around Texas.

The Houston Chronicle has live Hurricane Harvey updates that may pertain to residents still in the city or evacuees.

The Chronicle also has a complete list of local highways and roads that are inaccessible or shut down due to flooding.