TEXAS HURRICANE HARVEY UPDATE HOUSTON & COASTAL BEND DISASTER PROFILE
(SEPTEMBER 2018)
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. CURRENT ACTIVITIES (RECOVERY PHASE) As we continue response work (mucking, gutting and sanitizing homes), we are also rebuilding homes in northeast Houston and the Coastal Bend. In this phase, we complete 7 home rebuilds/month. Volunteers travel to job sites each morning at 7AM and return each evening to our base for a nightly meeting recapping the day. With 50 volunteers in Texas, over 40 nationalities have been represented since January. Thanks to support from our partners at TUMI, we also completed our first ever domestic school rebuild at the Rhodes School for the Performing Arts. We made a 2-year commitment to help Texas recover and we aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
Site Supervisor Marc and Trainee Patricia cut countertops prior to installing them.
Site Supervisor Justin and Volunteer Arturo install lockers at Paul Revere Middle School
OUR IMPACT
4,019
PEOPLE IMPACTED
1,018
JOBS COMPLETED
3,168
VOLUNTEERS
23,995
VOLUNTEER DAYS
HOMEOWNER HIGHLIGHTS Joanie Marshall is a homeowner whose home we recently completed by our Coastal Bend team. Joanie and her husband have been struggling over the past year due to health challenges and the effects Hurricane Harvey had on their home. Richard (Joanie’s husband) is in a Rehab Nursing Home and throughout the last year, Joanie has been in and out of the hospital. Now that their home is safe/healthy, Richard will return home shortly. They’ll no longer have to worry about the quality of air in their home, and the other damages of Hurricane Harvey. Read more about Joanie’s journey here.
Just as we worked with Joanie and Richard to recover their home, many are still in need of assistance. Every day volunteers in the field working on various homes. There are plenty of homes to be mucked, gutted, and rebuilt; neighbors, family and friends still need help. All Hands and Hearts is committed to this community. Come join our team, and help people like Joanie on their road to recovery. VOLUNTEERS VOICES “My experience with All Hands and Hearts was eye opening. Working in the houses that were affected by the hurricane and getting to know the families, made me feel like I was behind the scenes. Before I only saw/heard what was going on from the news and most of the time that doesn't show you the trauma these disasters bring for the families. I have learned so much about construction, the process of building a house (I can build my own one day),and most importantly being mindful of the things that go on every single day that we don't see. I feel more open to the world and I can honestly say that All Hands and Hearts has impacted me immensely.” - anonymous
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: Rebecca Connelly, Partnership Manager rebecca.c@allhandsandhearts.org or (508) 965-0787 www.allhandsandhearts.org