What Texas Strong Really Means in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey

When my Texas Strong shirts raised $146,000 after the Memorial Day floods hit Hays and Caldwell counties in 2015, I had no that Hurricane Harvey would rock southeast Texas two years later.

I was born in Austin and raised in central Texas, but my mother and grandmother were born in Houston. The bulk of my mom’s family and my husband’s mom’s family, as well as many of our dear friends, live in southeast Texas.

Some of our friends in the Houston area are now finally able to either leave or return to their neighborhoods for the first time in days. Meanwhile, many whose homes were spared are already helping others clean out their flooded houses and rebuild.

While the catastrophic loss of life and property is overwhelming, the outpouring of physical and financial support from the rest of the state (and the rest of the nation) is equally overwhelming. (In fact, JJ Watt’s fundraising campaign total is currently over $17,000,000.)

What Texas Strong really means in the wake of Hurricane Harvey

In central Texas, groups of friends have already collected and transported thousands of dollars worth of monetary donations and specifically requested supplies for families and shelters in affected areas. We’ve also seen numerous businesses and local musicians show up in a big way for disaster relief.

Houston Legal Aid Center

My precious friend Brandy Alexander, veteran and owner of Heart Crossed Designs, escaped the storm with her three kids. Her veteran and Houston firefighter husband Marcos stayed behind to save hundreds of lives in the Cypress area. At her request, we are offering the original #TexasStrong shirts, totes, and mugs along with an updated #HoustonStrong design on Teespring. All proceeds benefit Hurricane Harvey relief efforts through Houston Legal Aid Center (HLAC):

In response to the catastrophic devastation brought about by Hurricane Harvey, HLAC is taking donations to partner with local shelters and ministries to assist in the relief efforts.

When families are displaced by a natural disaster, the immediate needs for rescue, food, and shelter are obvious. Many donors and volunteers are eager to help, but they hit a wall when it comes to addressing more complex issues such as applying for FEMA relief or disaster unemployment assistance, dealing with insurance companies, seeking forbearance from mortgage, auto, and other billers, finding housing, replacing vital documents, and so much more.

HLAC is stepping in where most relief efforts end in order to walk with families through the long process of getting back to a normal life.

Austin Disaster Relief Network

I am honored to be able to partner with a few of my favorite local businesses, Creative Escape in Buda and Summermoon Coffee in Austin, Buda, Kyle (and beyond), to raise Harvey relief funds for HLAC and the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN), respectively:

ADRN has assisted over 1,300 survivors and provided hundreds of families with Emotional and Spiritual care, emergency financial, and emergency housing and managed and coordinated over 1,500 volunteers to date. HOPE Family Thrift Store has provided FREE merchandise to hundreds of families. ADRN has shipped 550 Welcome Kits to the Delco shelter and hundreds to families in Beaumont, The Woodlands and Houston. ADRN is actively deploying Emotional and Spiritual care teams to the MET Center mega-shelter to provide emotional, spiritual and physical support to survivors impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

Financial assistance is being provided to meet the immediate needs of survivors. ADRN volunteers assisted families from Rockport with disabilities as they shopped for emergency items at local stores. Supplies donated through our Survivor Supply Drive are being distributed to families and children within local shelters and will continue through the upcoming weeks as thousands arrive to find refuge. ADRN and warehouse partners have shipped an estimated 800 pallets to date to Houston, Conroe, Beaumont, Orange, The Woodlands, and Rosenberg, with many more shipments being planned.

ADRN’s Call Center (512.806.0800) has fielded over 5,000 calls providing information and resources to individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Harvey, along with volunteer engagement, and donor management. ADRN has provided Central Texas Red Cross volunteers to provide help within opened shelters and has 8 designated churches that can become shelters in the event that the City of Austin/Travis County leadership needs additional shelters or current shelters in operation have to close due to the nature of what they do.

Texans take care of Texans because that’s how we were raised. And that’s what we know how to do. We take action and fight for our people. It’s in our blood.

Here’s a list of Texas businesses and celebrities who are showing up in a tangible way for Harvey victims in southeast Texas.

Texans stepping up to the plate for Hurricane Harvey relief

(512) Brewing Company
Academy Sports + Outdoors
Adelbert’s Brewery
Antonelli’s Cheese Shop
Blue Bell Ice Cream
Bobby Bones
Brooklyn’s Down South
Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis
Buc-ee’s
Buda’s Red Door
C.C. Creations, LTD
Charlie Robison
Cody Canada and the Departed
Creative Escape, LLC
Dallas Cowboys (Jerry Jones)
Deep Eddy Vodka
Dell
Embellish Nails & Boutique
Gallery Furniture (Mattress Mack)
George Strait
Green Goo
Harpo Graphics
Hat Creek Burgers
Heart Crossed Designs
H-E-B
Hoffer Furniture
Houston Astros
Houston Texans (JJ Watt)
Jack Ingram
James Avery Craftsman
Jamie Lin Wilson
Junk Gypsy
Kacey Musgraves
Keller Williams Realty
Lavish Leathers
Lone Star Delights
Lyle Lovett
Magnolia (Chip and Joanna Gaines)
The Majestic Theatre
Maren Morris
Mattress Firm
Micky & the Motorcars
Miranda Lambert
Motiva
Oncor
Paramount Theatre
Pat Green
Proof Liquor & Deli
Rachel’s Plan Bee
Randy Rogers
Rebecca Creek Distillery
Reckless Kelly
Robert Earl Keen
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Salt Lick BBQ
San Antonio Spurs (Lamarcus Aldridge)
The Sauer Kraut
Shiner Beer
Shinyribs
Southwest Airlines
Starrs on Mercer
The Stitch Shoppe
Summermoon Coffee
TexAgs
Texas Humor
Texas Instruments
Texas Rangers
Thirsty Planet Brewing Company
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Twisted X Brewing Company
Vintage Soul TX
Wade Bowen
Willie’s Joint BAR and BBQ
YETI

(This list is by no means exhaustive. Please feel free to add additional Texas businesses I’ve missed in the comments, and I’ll try to keep updating the list.)