The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Helping out in wake of Harvey
City, state residents donating goods and time
NEW HAVEN » Houston might be 1,500 miles away, but Pam DeLise of Branford felt a little bit closer in Wooster Square Friday.
She was dropping off relief supplies to provide comfort to people she never met.
“I see the devastation of what people are experiencing, and you know, you feel so remote being on the other side of the country, but it hits home, and I wanted to be able to do at least a little something to know that maybe I helped someone be able to brush their teeth or do something that can just give them some self-care. I really feel, really feel, for what people are going through,” said DeLise.
Rabbi Hershey Hecht, of the Chabad in Orange, along with his brother Rabbi Mendy Hecht, of the Chabad in New Haven, have been collecting donations in a U-Haul truck and plan to drive to Texas Sunday to deliver the clothes, food, toiletries, cleaning supplies and other items.
He said people are “not just giving money, not just swiping a credit card, they’re actually getting out of the house, choosing what they want to give and putting it on the truck. They get to see where it goes. They’re more involved that way.” They are not alone. Hurricane Harvey has caused unprecedented flooding and at least 39 storm-related deaths, and more than 37,000 homes have been heavily damaged. Despite receding floodwaters and rescuers searching for more potential victims, the affected states face long-term recovery that will take years and billions of dollars.
And despite Connecticut’s distance, organizations and individuals across the Nutmeg State are doing their part to help out.
Police officers, teams and volunteers have been deployed or are ready and waiting to head to the disaster area to provide aid in the wake of the hurricane’s devastating impact.
Officers from the New Haven-based Coast Guard Long Island Sound sector have already been sent and more than two-dozen active and reserve officers are expected to be deployed to Houston over the next few months, said Ensign Rodion Mazin, the sector’s public affairs officer.
The Coast Guard personnel in Texas are focusing on incident management and search and rescue. Mazin said the officers are helping out in any way they can and filling in where they are needed, depending on the command center’s operational needs.
Seven American Medical Response EMTs and paramedics from the New Haven area and 20 others from across the state have been deployed at the request of the federal government, said Chuck Babson, regional director for AMR. The crews are working under the guidance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as state and local EMS agencies to provide patient transportation.
“Currently, the crews are on a [seven] to 14-day activation, but that can change as the situation changes,” Babson said. “The crews will stay in the area as long as they are needed.”
Laura Krueger, spokeswoman for the Southern New England Salvation Army, said one person has been deployed to the area and between 50 to 60 emergency disaster personnel are available in Connecticut and Rhode Island and are ready to deploy if called. She said the people preparing to deploy would be working to organize relief efforts, serving food at the canteens, working at shelters, providing spiritual and emotional care and generally offering help to those in need.
Thousands of American Red Cross volunteers and employees including more than 60 from Connecticut, with the number increasing by the hour, have been dispatched to Texas and support locations to help those affected, Richard Branigan, chief administrative officer for the Connecticut and Rhode Island region of the American Red Cross, said.
Branigan said the Red Cross has also launched a relief response, as well, which includes partnering with other organizations, to raise donations and sheltering the thousands of residents seeking refuge. Eversource Energy, for example, is donating $50,000 to the Red Cross to help residents in the greater Houston area who have been displaced by massive flooding in the region.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford also will hold a special collection for the victims Sept. 9 and 10 at all of its Masses. The funds will be used to support the humanitarian and recovery efforts of Catholic Charities USA and provide pastoral and rebuilding support to impacted dioceses.
While network food banks in the region are delivering food, water and other supplies to the communities devastated by Hurricane Harvey, Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau said the food banks will need help long after the waters recede, as “[t]heir recovery will be measured in months and years and will mean increased demand on food banks struggling to rebuild their own operations.”
“Connecticut knows firsthand how important assistance and resources are during storm recovery,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said, referring to the state’s two significant storms since 2010: Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
However, catastrophic situations can be opportunities for fraud. Scam charities often solicit funds through email, telephone and popup ads on social media. Instead, Gov. Dannel Malloy advises residents providing donations to nonprofit organizations, assisting with Hurricane Harvey’s response and recovery, to take precautions to ensure their charitable contributions are being used as intended.
It is always important to research a charity before donating by visiting the organization’s website, calling to ask questions and making sure they have the appropriate credentials. Consumers are also encouraged to donate to organizations they are familiar with to ensure their money is going to the best place possible.
“Past experience has taught us that the best way we can help survivors in a disaster, particularly in the first days, is to donate funds to trusted charitable organizations that are often on the front lines working in close partnership with first responders,” Malloy said. “These funds will help those in need as the Houston region begins to recover. We are grateful to these organizations and to the first responders for all the direct assistance they are providing to the people impacted by this storm.”