The Destroyer named Harvey devastated South Texas and its coastal inhabitants. First came “Tropical Storm Harvey,” a Category 4 hurricane, with ruinous winds and flooding. “Hurricane Harvey” followed, dropping a foot of rain overnight, from Galveston to Beaumont. It is not expected to relent until the sixth day, Wednesday afternoon, August 30, 2017. Below are remains of Salt Grass Landing Apartments in Rockport, TX, attacked on Sunday, August 27.
Two Morrison, IL, women, Lorraine Best (815-590-3732) and Christine Stage (563-503-8154), are spearheading a local support effort that everyone can join. Stage runs a non-profit called “Helping the Homeless/Less Fortunate” on Facebook.
“We need a lot of things, basically anything and everything,” stated Best on Tuesday, August 29. However, the American Red Cross does not want clothing donations. Purchase the following and drop them at the locations below:
- batteries
- water
- diapers and cleansing wipes
- toiletries, toothbrushes and paste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc.
- blankets and wash cloths
- money donations to ship/drive items to the American Red Cross or Salvation Army.
Items may be dropped now at the following residences. They will be moved to a storage unit before being given to the American Red Cross. If necessary, volunteers are ready to drive the donations to Texas.
- Lorraine Best, front porch, 205 W. North Street, Morrison
- Joe Bramm, front porch, 205 E. Winfield Street, Morrison
- Theresa Davis, 418 Middle Road, Camanche, IA
- Verna Stage, 2109 4th Street, Fulton, IL
- York Baptist Church, in Thomson, IL, Sunday, September 3, from 2:00 to 5:00 and Monday, September 4, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Rhonda McKenzie will pick up your donation if you cannot take it to the above locations. Call her at 563-503-2343.
ABC News reported the following details of Hurricane Harvey flooding. Their photograph shows overflow from Addicks Resevoir. (Courtney Sacco and Matt Woolbright/Caller-Times via USA TODAY NETWORK.)
After three days of rain–more than three inches–there have been 4000+ rescues. Late Tuesday, August 29, the death count reached 30, and in Houston 30,000 people are expected in shelters.
“Texas Governor Greg Abbott has activated the entire Texas National Guard to address the disaster.” The total number of guards available is roughly 12,000, and all of them will be used in recovery efforts in southeastern Texas, according to Abbott.
“These guys have saved our lives,” said one woman rescued by Texas National Guard members. Her husband and dogs were also rescued. “We’ve been in water all day, actually since last night, and we didn’t think help was coming. Thank you so much!”
Abbott told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Monday, August 28, that he expects the aftermath of Harvey to be “horrific,” a mess that will “take years” to rebuild.
The death toll has climbed amid “epic and catastrophic” flooding, since Harvey made landfall on Friday, August 25, according to the National Weather Service.
In an urgent message, officials announced that a levee in a county south of Houston was breached, after days of torrential rain. “NOTICE: The levee at Columbia Lakes has been breached!! GET OUT NOW!!!” Brazoria County said on Twitter on Tuesday morning, August 29.
The National Weather Service announced Tuesday afternoon, August 29, that preliminary data indicates the all-time record for total rainfall from a tropical system in the continental U. S. was broken in Cedar Bayou, TX, about 30 miles from downtown Houston–at 51.88 inches. If confirmed, the record is 0.12 inches shy of the record for total rainfall from a tropical storm in the entire U. S., including Hawaii and Alaska.
The need for doanations will continue.