Our thoughts and hearts have been with everyone affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma that swept through southern and southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean at the end of the summer. We were touched by the number of stories shared by our friends in the flooring community who were eager to help their friends and neighbors in need.
You’ll see on floortrendsmag.com and fcimag.com we have a new special section “The Flooring Industry Responds to Harvey,” which is a roundup of the ongoing news about hurricane recovery and aid efforts taking place in the flooring industry.
In our own backyard, Metro-Detroit-based company The Carpet Guys donated $50,000 worth of carpeting materials to help with the rebuild efforts in Houston following Hurricane Harvey. Mohawk Industries and Nature’s Big Springs Water teamed up to donate and deliver more than 100,000 bottles of water to the Houston area. Mannington Mills partnered with its 2,000 U.S.-based associates to raise relief funds for distribution by the American Red Cross. In addition to donations to The Red Cross, Los Angeles-based tile and stone company Emser Tile, which employs more than 200 associates in the Houston area, created a fund to provide financial assistance to those Emser Tile employees directly impacted by this disaster.
The stories keep rolling in, and we will continue to report them. As we’ve seen, there will be a need for assistance long after the flood waters recede and national news crews and volunteers head home. In fact, federal emergency officials said they’ll be bracing to help with recovery efforts in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and other states hard hit by the storms for years to come.
Here are some of the ways you can help hurricane victims:
GoFundMe (gofundme.com/hurricaneharvey) set up a dedicated Hurricane Harvey relief page to support individuals with verified campaigns on GoFundMe.
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (https://disasterphilanthropy.networkforgood.com/) helps donors make the best giving decisions to impact the full arc of the disaster cycle-preparedness, response and long-term recovery.
The United Way of Houston (unitedwayhouston.org) provides storm-related needs and recovery in the community. The organization says 100% of your gift to the United Way Relief Fund goes to help our neighbors and our community recover from Hurricane Harvey.
Portlight Strategies (portlight.org) is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1997 to facilitate a variety of projects involving people with disabilities, including post-disaster relief work.
The World Relief Fund (worldrelief.org/hurricane-harvey) has established an emergency recovery fund to provide direct financial aid to churches taking part in the rebuilding efforts ahead.
SPCA of Texas (spca.org/hurricane-harvey) is putting every available resource behind assisting pets and people who have evacuated the Gulf Coast to the North Texas area right here in North Texas and beyond.
