TEXAS HURRICANE HARVEY UPDATE HOUSTON & COASTAL BEND (JANUARY 2019)
CURRENT ACTIVITIES (RECOVERY PHASE) ● ● ●
Rebuilding homes in NE Houston and Coastal Bend (average of 7 homes/month) Continued response work (mucking, gutting, and sanitizing homes) Thanks to the generous support from our partners at TUMI, in September 2018, we completed our first ever domestic school rebuild at the Rhodes School for the Performing Arts
DISASTER PROFILE Hurricane Harvey made landfall on August 25, 2017, near Rockport, TX as a category 4 Hurricane with a record 52" of rain and 130-mph winds. It led 41 counties in Southeast Texas to be designated as federal disaster areas; one third of Houston was completely flooded. An estimated 136,000 homes were damaged in Harris County (Houston) alone. Additionally, the Coastal Bend region was hit especially hard, with an estimated 39,927 damaged structures totaling $4.5 billion. Damage in this region was even more varied than in Houston - not only were homes affected by storm surge and rising waters, but the high speed winds damaged many trees and roofs. This caused top-down water damage, debris and tree hazards, and led to long-term struggles to keep homes dry. OUR WORK Thanks to critical support from donors, partners, and volunteers from around the world, All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response was able to complete impactful 16 and 18-week programs across the Coastal Bend and Harris County regions, respectively. Our teams responded to the cry for help with gutting and mold sanitizing homes. Between the two programs we were able to complete: 310 muck/gut jobs and 103 sanitation jobs, facilitating 2,074 volunteers and providing assistance to 1,374 people. Teams were also able to remove trees from 77 sites, and debris from 105 sites in the Coastal Bend region.
Volunteers and community members work with KaBOOM! to build a playground in one day at the Rhodes School for the Performing Arts in Houston, TX.
OUR IMPACT
3,996
PEOPLE IMPACTED
1,058
JOBS COMPLETED
3,493
VOLUNTEERS
28,128
VOLUNTEER DAYS
HOMEOWNER HIGHLIGHTS Porfirio Deleon, Rachel Deleon and three of their six children have been living together in one room for the last 14 months. Thanks to Porfirio’s sister, who is currently hosting, the Deleon's are able to stay nearby while their family home is rebuilt. When All Hands and Hearts - Smart Response began working on the Deleon home this August, it was nothing but studs. “Because I have a 9-year-old daughter with Leukemia, I had to tear everything up, ”Porfirio explained. “I couldn't risk there being mold in my home after we rebuilt.” Just as Mia and her family are resilient in the face of life’s challenges, All Hands and Hearts aims to build resilient homes in the face of future natural disasters.“I just want to thank you guys. Words cannot describe how grateful we are for what you guys are doing,” said Porfirio. “The Deleon family is grateful.”
Our Site Supervisor in training program continues to grow in Texas. 4 trainees were hired and 3 graduated last month. Ensuring volunteers are trained, supported, and safe, Site Supervisors are pillars on program.
OUR MISSION To effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. By listening to local people, and deploying a unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, we rebuild safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.
OUR TEXAS PARTNERS
5 YEARS IN A ROW! Only 10% of charities have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star ratings. This means All Hands and Hearts outperforms most of the other 1.5 million charities in America in operational and financial efficiency.
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For additional information: Hana Wilder, Partnership Manager hana.w@allhandsandhearts.org or (774) 762-3180 www.allhandsandhearts.org