Bay State donations flow into Texas
Bostonians have jumped at the chance to help residents of Houston displaced by historic flooding and have donated thousands of items since Mayor Martin J. Walsh put out a call for food and clothing for the millions of people impacted by the rising floodwaters.
“It’s been incredible, I watched a father and his two kids, little guys, put Pampers in the bin for folks,” Walsh said yesterday. “I’m not surprised by the outpouring of support from the people of Boston, really, it’s incredible to watch. By Thursday we’re probably going to have a couple of truckloads of stuff going down to Houston.”
City officials said donations of diapers, baby formula, toiletries, clothing and perishable food items filled more than 75 18- by 18- by 24-inch boxes at City Hall, with more donations coming in from other city buildings. The city will be collecting materials through Aug. 31, and other cities like Framingham and Salem have pledged to contribute their donations as well.
Walsh also said his office and the city’s office of emergency management are coordinating with Houston officials to see if they need any other supplies.
“They’re going to notify if they need something new or if something has changed,” Walsh said. “We don’t want to do something that’s not needed or something they have too much of.”
Walsh noted the impact of the disaster will likely last long after the waters recede, saying, “Fifty thousand people displaced out of their homes, and this isn’t displaced meaning they can go back when the tide goes down, this means these homes probably have to be demolished and rebuilt.”