Photo Credits: NASA/NOAA GOES Project
I am a Texas resident and before I moved to Austin, I lived in Houston for six years. Starting on August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused a devastating amount of destruction and misery in Houston and in other parts of Texas. My heart is heavy so I investigated how to help and I want to share with you what I found:
Texas Tribune compiled this excellent guide on how to get (and offer) help after Hurricane Harvey. If you have been personally affected by the hurricane, there are sections on rescue and evacuation, shelter and relief, and disaster recovery. If you want to help hurricane survivors, there are sections on rescue efforts, providing shelter and supplies, making donations, giving blood, and volunteering time.
To recover from the psychological effects of a natural disaster, the American Psychological Association (APA) publishes a Psychology Help Center that includes sections focusing on trauma, hurricanes, and tornadoes. This is especially helpful because some families experienced threats from tornadoes at the same time they were dealing with Hurricane Harvey.