The Jewish community of Houston has been devastated by unprecedented flooding over the past few days with more rain and rising floodwaters expected. The RCA and the OU are asking the Jewish community at large to do anything in their power to help. Here are a few ways to help out:
As the extent of the damage becomes clear, it is obvious that this community will need significant financial help in order to rebuild. Please donate to the OU and RCA’s disaster relief fund todayDonate
Recite Tehillim and Send Messages of Support. Our prayers and good wishes are needed more than ever. Click here to commit to reciting Tehillim or to send your message of support.
Are you interested in volunteering in Houston to help the Orthodox community? We are in contact with community members on the ground to direct volunteers when and where they are needed.Fill out Form
Significant funds will be desperately needed in the weeks ahead as Jewish community members try to repair and rebuild their homes or, in some cases, their synagogues. Per the request of Houston Jewish community members: Please do not send clothing, toys or the like at this time – they simply have no place to store anything that is not portable. Right now donations of funds are most helpful. Also, please do not simply “show up” in Houston without coordinating with a volunteer organization like the OU. This will ensure that all assistance will be directed when and where it is needed.
On a positive note, there are parts of the community who are not as impacted at the current time. Local community members have stepped forward to provide short term assistance to house and feed their neighbors. During this time of devastation, we are very proud of the unity that our community has and will continue to show.
Stories from Houston
Community Hard Hit by Hurricane Harvey Flooding
Jenelle Garner, who helps leads a volunteer emergency response team in Willow Meadows, said her sons, Yari and Akiva, and another student from Robert M. Beren Academy, Noah Diner, performed a home rescue during the night. The teens were in the process of rescuing another neighbor on Sunday morning at around 8 a.m.
Houstonians Wait for Rescue
Houstonians near Brays Bayou in Southwest Houston have been stranded for several hours Sunday, Aug. 27, waiting for rescue crews as floodwaters continue to climb a day-and-half after Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Stay Informed
Read the Latest Reports from Houston:
Houston’s Jewish Community Weathers Hurricane Harvey (Hamodia)
Dozens of Houston Jewish community families displaced in ‘catastrophic’ flooding (JTA)
