TROPICAL STORM IMELDA RELIEF UPDATE OCTOBER 2019
TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT
17 20
LIVES IMPACTED VOLUNTEERS
234
VOLUNTEER DAYS
7
JOBS COMPLETED
Current Activities Thousands of homes were affected by Tropical Storm Imelda, many with flooding that rivalled that of Hurricane Harvey two years ago. Families are moving as quickly as possible to get mold out of their homes, and our team is on the ground alongside them, working to ensure that rural Texas communities are not forgotten. Our Tropical Storm Imelda Response Program is on the ground in Orange, Jefferson, and Chambers Counties (some of the hardest hit). With a base of operations in Vidor, TX, we are working closely with community members and the Turning Point Church of Vidor to maximize our impact. The lack of media attention surrounding Tropical Storm Imelda, and the relative low profile of these communities has resulted in significant challenges attracting volunteers and funding. As we continue our work, we hope you’ll work with us to elevate the voices of these communities and their needs. We welcome you to check out and share our media update from the team on the ground here.
Volunteer Voices .”This community is strong and resilient, and it’s great that we’re able to give an extra hand to help mitigate extra costs for owners after they’ve already been through Harvey, and now Imelda.” - Sarah Jahr “You can’t have community with just one person.” - Pastor George Gau
Learn about us at:
allhandsandhearts.org
Disaster Profile Tropical Storm Imelda made landfall on September 17, 2019, and caused devastating flooding across Southeast Texas. Near-record amounts of rainfall impacted areas still recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Preliminary numbers, courtesy of the National Weather Service, indicate that it was the fifth wettest tropical cyclone in U.S. history — excluding Hawaii and Alaska. The precipitation high was a staggering 43.15 inches, resulting in a state of emergency in more than a dozen counties.
Our Work Our base of operations is located in Vidor, TX, where we are able to reach homes in Jefferson, Chambers, and Orange Counties. Our response staff and volunteers are removing debris, mucking and gutting homes, and conducting mold sanitations. As one of the only active organizations in this area, we are working to reach those with the highest level of need as quickly as possible. Many thanks for continuing to follow and support our work in those communities like Vidor, whose stories are often otherwise not told. Join our community and volunteer, an application to get started can be found on our website.
About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure. We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator six years in a row and a Perfect 100. Less than one percent of rated nonprofits have received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.
Our Partners
info@allhandsandhearts.org (508) 758-8211