My hat is off to all of the first responders and volunteers in the Houston area and South Texas. The recovery of this area will take many months, perhaps even years. :bigbow:

It's just an estimate, but I just heard over 80% of the impacted homeowners don't have flood insurance.

Our son is flying search and rescue missions and has said the damage is devastating. And he has been deployed twice overseas.

Yep, and that will be the biggest fight in congress. How or not to appropriate funding either in grants loans/both to people who may or may not be able to afford a loan.

[QUOTE=fw102807;1441262]Not sure you understood my post. According to this site 90% of the funds do benefit the cause. Red Cross is a very highly regarded organization.[/QUOTE



How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti — ProPublica

[QUOTE=bimmertl;1442031]I was going to dismiss this as false news but upon researching found unfortunately it is true.

Looks like Red Cross off to shakey start with Harvey funds.

Red Cross Won'''t Release Harvey Relief Numbers, Continuing a Long, Troubling Trend

:sad: Like some others, I will not donate to the Red Cross. I have my reasons. That being said.... I got online yesterday and made a donation to :thumbup:"The Salvation Army" and another to the :doggie:"Humane Society of the U.S." both earmarked for their Disaster Relief Fund.

Please don't let your dislike or distrust of a charity keep you from giving to others. Thank you.

Google CharityWatch. Search for American Red Cross. High overhead including very high salaries of their leadership. Costs them $30 to raise $100. Their rating is B. There are many efficient charities to help Harvey victims.

I just donated my Southwest Airline points to go towards Harvey, in any way they can be used.
I am sure other airlines are doing the same.
Please think about donating your miles.
Every little bit helps.

Fross and Fross Wealth Management is collecting donations at their building in Sumter Landing near Winn Dixie. They will get the donations to The T&D Family of companies, who are sending trucks full of the donations to Texas.
Below is the information from their Facebook post.
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Donations can be dropped off at Fross and Fross Wealth Management – 910 Old Camp Rd, Bldg. #90 between 9:00 and 5:00. Please do not leave donations outside during non-business hours.* We are located in Sumter Landing near Winn Dixie.

We are accepting the following donations through Wednesday 9/6 at 5pm:
- Water, sports drinks
- Nonperishable food items
- Diapers, baby wipes, and baby formula
- Toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, tooth brushes, deodorant)
- Feminine hygiene products
- Medical Supplies (band aids, first aid supplies)
- Blankets, sleeping bags and pillows
- Cleaning supplies (dish soap, disinfectant wipes, garbage bags, etc.)
- Moving boxes, backpacks and duffle bags
- Batteries for flashlights
- Pet food, cat litter, towels
- The only clothing items that are needed at this time are packs of new underwear and socks.
*Fross & Fross will be closed Monday, September 4th.

Nice to see the Dells donating so much. The rich usually just get the negative press and being successful is bad.

Adding some info:

Tech billionaire and Houston native Michael Dell has committed $36 million to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

The pledge from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is the largest contribution to date. It follows a long list of corporate donations to help the storm's victims and aid with recovery.

The founder and CEO of Dell and his wife Susan on Friday also announced the launch of the Rebuild Texas Fund, along with Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

The pair has already donated $17 million to launch the fund. The goal is to raise more than $100 million for immediate relief efforts, as well as longer-term recovery and rebuilding.