Lots of things happened in book world over the last few days, and I will get to them. But you may have heard we have a historic flood going on in Texas and since the storm isn't done yet, we are really at the very beginning of all of this. If you have the means to donate funds, there are a lot of resources that I've collected here. Do whatever your normal due diligence is for charities. In general, local charities tend to already have plans and contacts in place to get to the people there, and are more likely to be there, not just this week, but in the years to come. As we have seen from other storms, this recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Even tiny amounts help, they join up with other people's tiny amounts. And if you can't give until next month, or next year, as I said, this is a long term thing and it's really okay. And if you can't give at all, that's also okay. Your survival comes first.
Global Giving is crowdfunding with the intention that the money will go to local non-profits.
Humanity first is giving out hygiene kits and other early necessities.
Feeding Texas is the Texas arm of Feeding America. (And if this reminds you that lots of people need food, Feeding America donates to food banks in your areas when you donate to the national arm.)
Austin Pets Alive has been rescuing many stranded pets. A lot of evacuation centers or hotels don't allow pets, so people often have to make tough choices.
Texas Diaper Bank provides diapers, something a lot of evacuation groups don't have or have enough of on hand especially if folks had to leave their place unexpectedly.
GoFundMe has aggregated the Harvey specific fundraisers.
Portlight focuses on the needs of disabled folks displaced by disaster.
Team Rubicon is a group of military vets with relief and rescue experience. (Just a note, this group was highly recommended, there is not a Harvey operation listed on their webpage yet, but their social media indicated they are in the process of getting a group together.)
Houston's Coalition for the Homeless works with the homeless, which sadly we expect there to be more of after this.
