By Britt Lake | GlobalGiving, Chief Program Officer
Three weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport, Texas as a category 4 storm. People throughout the state lost homes, cars, and power.
Your donation was sent quickly to meet survivors’ immediate needs. The Fuel Relief Fund provided fuel to thousands of people in Texas just days after Harvey made landfall. This fuel was used to power emergency vehicles, police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, as well as Texans’ cars so they could leave the area. In Rockport and Port Aransas, where there were no working gas stations after the storm, Fuel Relief Fund gave away nearly 16,000 gallons of gasoline and 1,750 gallons of diesel. In Silsbee, a town severely affected by the floods, they gave away almost 3,500 gallons of gasoline and 300 gallons of diesel.
“Fuel Relief Fund came to our small town during Hurricane Harvey when we were desperate for fuel,” said Staci, who received fuel from the Fund. “Our emergency vehicles needed fuel to take care of our community. We appreciate them more than anyone could ever know. I will forever remember you! Thank you guys for taking time away from your families to take care of our families.”
Fuel was not only necessary for vehicles, but also for many people who solely relied on generators to power their homes. As we’ve seen from the news coming out of Florida this past week, power outages can be dangerous and even deadly after a disaster.
The incredible fuel distribution effort was powered by volunteers who worked tirelessly all day, mostly sleeping in their cars or trucks. Watch a short video of their Harvey work here.
Most fuel stations in the affected areas in Texas have now opened and citizens and local first responders are able to get fuel. Fuel Relief Fund has moved on to work in Florida after Hurricane Irma, but the residents of Texas won’t forget your support.
Many of our partners are still hard at work in Texas and starting to think about the medium- and long-term recovery. Even as the Harvey headlines fade in the coming weeks and months, we’ll continue to report on the vital work made possible by your generous donation.
Thank you,
Britt + the GlobalGiving team
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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