Hurricane Harvey Update | All Hands Volunteers Inc.

Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund
September 05, 2017

All Hands and Hearts

Rebuilding Hope after Hurricane Harvey

All Hands Volunteers is quickly ramping up operations in Texas. We have multiple teams on the ground in a number of locations and have received over 3,500 volunteer applications. We will be running over 200 volunteers per day within the next weeks. Present operations center on Greater Houston and Aransas Pass.

Here's what we're doing on the ground:

-Muck, gut and debris removal crews are in the Greater Houston area, including the communities of Richmond and Sugarland.
-Chainsaw crews are clearing trees and widely strewn debris from roads and properties in and around Aransas Pass, where some homes were literally cut in half by the storm.
-Another team has been asked to head to Victoria to muck and gut the Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health facility.
-Meanwhile, staff continue responding to requests for help, and assessing homes and schools to build our work queue. Work requests can be sent to us directly at texashurricanerequests@hands.org
-Other teams have set up and are operating VRCs (Volunteer Reception Centers) at the Jewish Community Center in Houston and the library in Aransas Pass. The centers enable overwhelmed communities to safely and productively plug spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers into the relief effort. The capability to track volunteer hours increases a community’s FEMA reimbursement.

Making a Two-Year Commitment

We understand that Texas has a long road ahead and All Hands Volunteers is all about staying for the long term. We were in Detroit for one and a half years; in New York (after Hurricane Sandy) for almost three years; and we’re still in Louisiana, one year after the flood. And today, we’re committing to be in Texas for at least two years. That’s what it takes to Rebuild Hope for families and communities after a disaster like Hurricane Harvey, so that’s what we do. We stay until the job is done.

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