TEXAS HURRICANE RELIEF FINAL REPORT AUGUST 2017 - MARCH 2021
Disaster Profile On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm that produced a record 52” of rain and 130 mph winds. Harvey was named the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States since 2005, and 41 counties in Southeast Texas were designated as federal disaster areas. One third of Houston was completely flooded, with an estimated 136,000 homes affected in Harris County alone, and the Coastal Bend region was hit especially hard, experiencing $4.5 billion worth of damage to an estimated 39,927 structures.
Our Work
Thanks to critical support from donors, partners and volunteers, our teams served the affected communities in Houston and Coastal Bend from the immediate days after Hurricane Harvey until March 2021 ‒ a 3+ year commitment and an excellent demonstration of our aim to Arrive Early, Stay Late. Watch this video to learn more.
Phase One: Houston and Coastal Bend Response ‒ August 2017 to January 2018 Our teams completed an impactful 16-week response program in Coastal Bend and an 18-week response program in Houston. Scopes of work included tree removal, debris removal, muck and gut and mold sanitation. Phase Two: Houston and Coastal Bend Recovery ‒ January 2018 to March 2020 We transitioned to a long-term recovery program, concentrating site supervisors and volunteers on high-quality interior repair. While much of this work was focused on homes, we also helped to rebuild community infrastructure, such as the Rhodes School for the Performing Arts in Houston. Phase Three: Developing COVID-19 Adaptations ‒ March 2020 to October 2020 In March 2020, we made the decision to demobilize our teams and suspend our volunteer-powered operations due to COVID-19. We hired local contractors in Coastal Bend to complete critical unfinished work and deliver on our most pressing commitments, where possible. Our teams developed new operational standards and a new volunteer model called DM12 to promote a safe environment, so that we could resume our mission. Phase Four: Completing Commitments in Coastal Bend ‒ October 2020 to March 2021 After a seven-month suspension of our volunteer operations, we were delighted to welcome volunteers back to program in the Coastal Bend region of Texas where we continued focusing our efforts on high-quality interior home repair.
4,767 VOLUNTEERS
4,318 LIVES IMPACTED
43,809 VOLUNTEER DAYS
1,234 JOBS COMPLETED
$10+ MILLION DOLLARS INVESTED
Learn about our programs at
allhandsandhearts.org
Homeowner Spotlights All Hands and Hearts has built a reputation as an organization that mobilizes volunteers to safely and effectively repair and rebuild homes that are functional, disaster-resilient and finished to a high quality. During our three years of service in Texas, we’re proud to have supported homeowners safely back into their homes, by carrying out activities such as installing insulation, hanging drywall, laying down flooring, installing cabinets and so much more.
BEFORE
“It was awesome. Everyone was polite and accommodating. We had been out of our house for one and a half years. We were able to move home.” -
Mrs. Fisher
BEFORE
AFTER
“We didn’t know what we were gonna do. I called you guys. It was a godsend. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. My home had to be totally gutted. It’s 27,000 square feet. It’s a 5 bedroom home. They restored everything. It’s looking better than it was originally. I enjoyed the people doing the work. They were really wonderful.” -
Mr. Tufts
AFTER
“...no electricity for month and a half, no running water for 3 months. It’s so cool y’all are working hard every day and we notice everything. I can’t wait for a living room for a place to sit down and relax.” -
BEFORE
Mr. Fernandez
AFTER
The Rhodes School for the Performing Arts Spotlight The Rhodes School for the Performing Arts is a fine arts magnet charter school consisting of five campuses across Houston’s northern and eastern areas. Tuition-free for all students, the school offers arts, dance, drama and classical music as part of the core curriculum. The Rhodes School primarily serves minority communities, with African American or Hispanic students making up 98% of the student body and 75% of students from low-income families. The Rhodes School was severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey, losing many buildings and resources to flood damage, including classrooms, two cafeterias, four school buses, 318 new laptop computers, countless books and school supplies, three commercial refrigerators, furniture for the classrooms and several administrative offices. In 2018, thanks to support from our trusted partner TUMI, All Hands and Hearts rebuilt 8 mobile unit classrooms and repaired multiple other buildings at the Rhodes School, enabling over 700 children to return to a safe learning environment.
BEFORE
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY
AFTER
Site Supervisor Training Spotlight When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, shortly followed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, we saw an immense need for Long-Term Recovery Programs, but faced the challenge of finding enough skilled construction staff to oversee the volunteer programs. Our U.S. Recovery Operations team saw an opportunity and created the All Hands and Hearts Site Supervisor Training program. This program successfully built capacity and turned Texas into a training ground to upskill a team for the next wave of recovery programs. Volunteers with little construction experience were paired up with a skilled site supervisor for three months to learn all of the skills needed to lead our sites. This program started in early 2018 and by February 2020, we had graduated 106 site supervisors (48 in 2018, 55 in 2019 and three in 2020). Twenty-eight are still employed with us, and some moved to different positions and departments. Watch this video to learn more about our successful Site Supervisor Training Program.
“I have not encountered any other external organization that is as effective and dedicated as All Hands and Hearts. Rockport Hands of Hope first encountered All Hands and Hearts in the fall of 2018, when they approached us hoping to broaden their reach – taking on volunteer rebuild work for homeowners that had applied for our services. They committed to "come early and stay late," and at a time when many organizations were getting ready to leave, they established themselves as one of the few organizations to continue the long-term recovery effort in Coastal Bend. Over the past two years, our close partnership enabled our respective volunteer networks to build into a strong community-driven recovery. All Hands and Hearts has expertise in mobilizing and directing volunteers from across the globe, as well as intention and thoughtfulness to bring hope to every individual homeowner, many of whom could no longer see a path forward. Theirs is precisely the type of organization that helps a community to truly recover.” -
Cyndi Powell, Executive Director, Rockport Hands of Hope
Our Partners and Donors Our long-term commitment in Texas would not have been possible without the generous support of our partners and donors. We received over 26,000 donations from a total of 22,775 donors and 461 partner organizations! We would like to express our deepest thanks to each and every one of you. Below we have highlighted those that supported at levels of $50,000 and above: Airbnb American Red Cross Bonneville International Bright Funds Foundation Center for Disaster Philanthropy ENGIE North America Foundation Beyond Belief GlobalGiving
Greater Houston Community Foundation JJ Watt Foundation KEEN, Inc. Metabolic Studio S L Gimbel Foundation SolarWinds Southwest Airlines SRS Raise the Roof Foundation
Taube Philanthropies The Hanover Company The Home Depot Foundation The Morgridge Family Foundation Travelers Foundation TUMI, Inc. United Way of Greater Houston United Way of the Coastal Bend
We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated non-profits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.
info@allhandsandhearts.org