How to get (and offer) help after Hurricane Harvey

• Lost Dogs of Texas is maintaining several active Facebook pages documenting pets they’ve found amid the storm. Here is some information (with photos included) on animals found along the Coast Bend area and those in the Houston area.
• Also, the U.S. Department of Labor has approved a $10 million National Dislocated Worker Grant to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in Texas.
• If your home was ravaged by the floods or sustained any storm damage, you can register your damage with FEMA at 1-800-621-3362.
• You can also file a personal claim with the Texas Department of Insurance’s consumer hotline at 1-800-252-3439. 

If you want to help victims of Hurricane Harvey …

Help with rescue efforts

Provide shelter and supplies

• Food banks are asking for nonperishable staples like canned meat and dry goods, as well as cleaning supplies; the Houston Food Bank, Southeast Texas Food Bankin Beaumont, Central Texas Food Bank, Galveston County Food Bank, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent and Corpus Christi Food Bank all accept online donations. See the Houston Press’s list of names and contact information for more food banks here.
• Donate food or cash to food banks in your area. Or you can donate to Feeding Texas, a network of food banks across the state. Find your local food bank here.
• You can also open your home to disaster victims through Airbnb.
• Make a cash or diaper donation to the Texas Diaper Bank, which is providing emergency diaper kits to displaced families. 
• In East Texas, Athens First Presbyterian Church is accepting donations — including bottled water, nonperishable food, tarps, trash bags and clean up supplies — for hurricane relief efforts. The church is also looking for volunteers to help accept donations.

Make a donation

• Several local and national organizations are collecting donations for general disaster relief efforts, including the United Way, Americares, Salvation Army, Save the Children, Global Giving, Heart to Heart and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.  Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has set up a flood relief fund, backing the effort with his own $100,000 donation.
• Gofundme has curated a list of Harvey relief efforts, with fundraisers for individual cities, families and homes.
• Individuals and corporations can donate to hurricane relief efforts through the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
• The State of Texas Agriculture Relief fund (STAR fund) is collecting private dollars to help Texas farmers and ranchers recover from Hurricane Harvey.
• You can help Hurricane Harvey victims by texting HARVEY to 90999 to give $10 to the Red Cross (or by visiting RedCross.org to give any other amount).
• The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, established by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, is accepting donations for flood victims.

Give blood

Several hospitals are reporting blood shortages and seeking donations in the wake of the storm. O negative and O positive donations are particularly helpful, but people of all blood types are encouraged to donate.

• Carter BloodCare is sending donations to Southeast Texas; see where you can donate here. You can also give blood through the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center; find out more on their website or by calling 210-731-5590.
• Living outside of Texas? You can still donate blood through the Red Cross.
• On Tuesday, Trinity Mother Frances Health System and Carter BloodCare in Tyler are hosting a blood drive from noon until 6 p.m.

Volunteer your time

Experts expect it’ll take some time before the floodwaters drain in Houston. In the meantime, several groups are seeking volunteers to help with recovery efforts.

• Volunteers can sign up for trips to the affected area through organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

Read related Tribune coverage:

• The director of the federal Hurricane Harvey relief efforts offered guidance to Texans affected by the storm and urged citizens to help. [Full story]

• As Harvey's waters strand thousands of folks in their homes and send some onto rooftops — a chorus of onlookers have asked: Why didn’t more local officials order mandatory evacuations? [Full story]

• Nowhere was Hurricane Harvey's devastation felt more than Aransas County, which has had one storm-related death and has had many buildings severely damaged. The region's difficult physical — and emotional — recovery is underway. [Full story]