Ways to Help Hurricane Harvey Victims as America Holds a National Day of Prayer

AS AMERICA CELEBRATES LABOR DAY, LET'S TAKE TIME TO PAUSE AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO ARE STILL SUFFERING. There is still a lot of suffering and pain in east Texas and, especially, in Houston. • • • PRESIDENT AND MRS. TRUMP GO BACK TO TEXAS. While Trump visited, attention was also focused on Minute Maid Park, where baseball’s Houston Astros played their first home games since Harvey devastated the fourth largest US city. The Saturday doubleheader with the New York Mets was filled with emotion and with moments to honor the dozens who died as a result of Harvey. Just as the first New Orleans Saints football game helped boost spirits in New Orleans after Katrina, the Astros surely helped lift spirits in Houston. • The storm, one of the costliest ever to hit the United States, has displaced more than 1 million people, with 50 feared dead from flooding that paralyzed Houston, raised river levels to record highs and knocked out the drinking water supply for the 120,000 residents of Beaumont, Texas. Hurricane Harvey came ashore a week ago last Friday as the strongest storm to hit Texas in more than 50 years. Much of the damage took place in the Houston metropolitan area, which has an economy about the size of Argentina‘s. Seventy percent of Harris County, which encompasses Houston, at one point was covered with 18 inches or more of water, county officials say. In the Harris County area, the nearly 50 inches, or 1 1/3 meters, of rain that fell was equal to a once in a 40,000 year event, according to Jeff Lindner, meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. • Approximately 440,000 Texans have already applied for federal financial disaster assistance, and some $79 million has been approved so far, Texas Governor Greg Abbott says. The Trump administration in a letter to Congress asked for a $7.85 billion appropriation for response and initial recovery efforts. White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert told reporters on Thursday that aid funding requests will come in stages as more becomes known about the impact of the storm that Texas Governor Abbott says may require more than $150 billion in aid. • For already-flooded Houston neighborhoods, there is still the possible danger of more flooding as the Army Corps of Engineers continues to release water into the adjacent Buffalo Bayou to prevent dam and levee failures. About 80 miles to the east, the Neches River, which flows into Beaumont and nearby Port Arthur, was expected to crest on Saturday well above flood levels, the National Weather Service said. Governor Abbott told reporters : “It (the Neches River) is about 7 feet above the record and it will continue to remain at or be near that high for about the next week. This flooding poses an ongoing threat." • President Trump, who has encouraged Americans to love one another, said : “The people of Texas and Louisiana were hit very hard by a historic flood and their response taught us all a lesson, a very, very powerful lesson. There was an outbreak of compassion only...and it really inspired us as a nation.” • • • GENEROSITY. Swiss studies have shown that being generous -- whether in small or large doses -- makes people happier. So, President Trump's message about compassion can be magnified by being generous from afar. The Swiss studies proposed 5 steps to take to give more and so be happier : "Embrace gratitude – The first step to giving more is to be thankful for the things you have. Keep a gratitude journal and list all that you have to be thankful for each day. Start small – If you don’t normally consider yourself a generous person, start small. Even giving a dollar to someone in need can help them and boost your mood at the same time. Find something you’re passionate about – Do you love animals? Give to an animal rescue organization. Is childhood literacy a cause you believe in? Donate to a charity that works to ensure all children can read. Maybe for you it’s the environment, civil rights or your religion. The key is to find something you’re passionate about to support. Give your time – Generosity is about more than money. You can give of yourself by donating your time to work for your cause. Make it a habit – Don’t give once and expect it to permanently impact your happiness level. Make being generous a lifelong habit." So, if you’ve been thinking about helping the people in Texas whose lives have been turned upside down due to Harvey, one company has some good suggestions on how, when and what to give to the relief effort. • • • VACATIONS TO GO is a company based in Houston that publishes an online cruise and vacation newsletter. I've read it for many years, dreaming of my perfect cruise. So, when Vacations To Go announced to its readers on Saturday that it is committing $1 million to the shelter and recovery operations underway in Houston, I was both impressed and felt that I was hearing from real people doing real things to help. • Vacations To Go said : "We are dividing that amount equally among six long-established, local, charitable organizations that are heavily engaged in the support and recovery of our community. Some of my readers have asked where they could send donations of money or goods. There are many possibilities, but here are the six organizations that Vacations To Go is financially supporting during this disaster. • The Houston Food Bank is the nation's largest food bank, distributing more than 79 million meals last year through hunger relief charities in 18 counties. It is working with partner agencies to ensure that food continues to be provided to those most in need, and also to those who will struggle to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Harvey. • Late in the night of Tuesday, August 29, BakerRipley opened the city's largest shelter at Houston's NRG Stadium, preparing for up to 10,000 evacuees forced out of their homes by flooding. In collaboration with other agencies, BakerRipley takes over after the efforts of initial emergency responders to provide long-term disaster relief. • Since 1907, Star of Hope Mission has been dedicated to helping homeless men, women and children through programs that focus on education, employment, spiritual growth and other foundations. • Second Baptist Church is one of the nation's largest churches, with six campuses in the Houston area. It is helping to restore homes damaged by flooding. Teams of volunteers, including Vacations To Go employees, are providing supplies, cleaning out flooded homes, tearing out wet carpet and walls and more to begin the restoration process. • Memorial Assistance Ministries ensures that families in financial crisis have the means to meet basic needs. This can range from providing assistance with rent and utility bills and access to medical services to job coaching and financial education. During disasters like Hurricane Harvey, it responds to those who need rehousing, replacement furniture, financial assistance, trauma counseling and much more. Founded in 1924, the Houston SPCAis the city's oldest and largest animal protection organization. It aids more than 50,shelter, rescue, rehabilitation, adoption nd other services. Staff and volunteers are working to help pets displaced by Harvey." • • • VACATIONS TO GO CEO NEWSLETTER. Here is the Vacations To Go news about the Harvey recovery effort : "We know of 64 coworkers who have sustained serious flooding to their homes and another 33 who were evacuated from their neighborhoods and who have not been able to return to assess the damage. Some have lost every material thing that they owned--house, cars, clothes, furniture, everything. And while parts of this huge city are returning to normal, some areas are still underwater. Several of our employees are high and dry in their homes but surrounded by floodwaters that prevent them from leaving their neighborhoods. The water is actually rising along some bayous and reservoirs and continuing to threaten new areas as authorities try to prevent dams from failing. Hurricane Harvey is now the largest 'rain event' in US history, with a death toll of at least 47 people. There are tragedies yet to unfold as the water recedes. In four days, total rainfall in Houston exceeded 43 inches. Nearly 52 inches fell on the small town of Cedar Bayou, just east of Houston, the all-time record rainfall for the continental United States. At least 17,000 Houstonians are housed in shelters and a much, much larger number of displaced people are staying with friends or family. There are so many volunteers arriving to work in these shelters that many are being turned away. An estimated 100,000 homes and 500,000 cars have been damaged. The official total of 13,000-plus rescues is dwarfed by the actual total that includes rescues by private citizens. I have seen people carried to safety in the arms of police and firefighters and other first responders. I have seen them floated to safety on strangers' kayaks, canoes, airboats and fishing boats. Some of these boats were towed to Houston by good Samaritans from throughout Texas and surrounding states. Three dozen members of Cajun Coast Search and Rescue--the so-called Cajun Navy--rolled into town from Louisiana at the height of the storm and risked their own lives to save others. We thank our courageous neighbors from Louisiana and everyone else who rose to the occasion at their personal risk and expense. They can never be adequately repaid. We are extremely fortunate that our headquarters suffered only minor water damage and never lost power. Our phones were restored Wednesday night. With power and air conditioning, we are able to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to every employee who can make it in." • • • DEAR READERS, first, I want to assure you that I am in no way benefitting from what could seem like publicity for Vacations To Go. That said, while we may not be able to make headline-size donations to help Houston and east Texas, many of us can do something. CEO Alan Fox ended his newsletter about Harvey with one more suggestion : "Vacations To Go employees who escaped serious damage from Harvey are housing displaced friends and family, helping with cleanup and repair and volunteering in churches and shelters. People who evacuated their houses without anything need everything, so our employees are donating and collecting food, clothes, water, toiletries, disposable diapers, blankets and sheets, toys and games at our Houston office (5851 San Felipe Street, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77057) for delivery to one of the shelters in the city. Feel free to ship anything here that you want delivered to a shelter and we'll make sure it gets there. Finally, I want to sincerely thank all of you who so kindly sent words of encouragement after my last newsletter, not only to me but to the Vacations To Go travel consultants who have helped you over the years. It's been a long and emotional week and that meant a lot to all of us. Across this city today, people are ripping up wet carpet, tearing out sheetrock, helping their neighbors and going back to work. Our recovery is underway." • I know that many of my US readers are already helping the victime of Harvey. For that we are all grateful. For my many non-US readers, if you are looking for some way to help these victims, any of the above charitable groups would be thrilled to hear from you. • As we celebrate America's Labor Day, we should join with President Trump, who proclaimed a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey. The Presidential Proclamations stated : "From the beginning of our Nation, Americans have joined together in prayer during times of great need, to ask for God's blessings and guidance. This tradition dates to June 12, 1775, when the Continental Congress proclaimed a day of prayer following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and April 30, 1789, when President George Washington, during the Nation's first Presidential inauguration, asked Americans to pray for God's protection and favor....As response and recovery efforts continue, and as Americans provide much needed relief to the people of Texas and Louisiana, we are reminded of Scripture's promise that 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.' Melania and I are grateful to everyone devoting time, effort, and resources to the ongoing response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. We invite all Americans to join us as we continue to pray for those who have lost family members or friends, and for those who are suffering in this time of crisis. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 3, 2017, as a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey and for our National Response and Recovery Efforts. We give thanks for the generosity and goodness of all those who have responded to the needs of their fellow Americans. I urge Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today for all those harmed by Hurricane Harvey, including people who have lost family members or been injured, those who have lost homes or other property, and our first responders, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and medical professionals leading the response and recovery efforts. Each of us, in our own way, may call upon our God for strength and comfort during this difficult time. I call on all Americans and houses of worship throughout the Nation to join in one voice of prayer, as we seek to uplift one another and assist those suffering from the consequences of this terrible storm. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second. DONALD J. TRUMP." • It is not too late -- it is never too late -- to pray for the victims of Harvey and for the complete and swift recovery of Houston and east Texas. And, while we pray for them, let us no forget the thousands in India who are homeless or injured, as well as those killed by the unusually severe monsoon now ravaging India. • May God bless, comfort and protect all those everywhere who suffer.