When relentless rainfall fueled by moisture from Tropical Storm Barry combined with a stalled weather system in early July, it unleashed more than 20 inches in a few short days—more than a month’s worth of rainfall in many places. A 20-foot wall of water swept down the Guadalupe River destroying homes, roads, and bridges. Communities from San Angelo and Tom Green County to Kerrville in Kerr County to Austin’s Travis County have been devasted. As survivors and communities struggle to dig out from the flooding, numerous nonprofits—including Team Rubicon—have begun putting volunteers on the ground to help survivors recover. You don’t have to live in the Lone Star state to lend a hand, though. Here’s how to help Texas flood victims and serve future disaster survivors.
Donate to Help Texas Flood Victims and Fund Their Recovery
Several funds have been established to help victims, including the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, created by The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which will direct money to vetted organizations providing rescue, relief, and recovery efforts.
Texans can even put their money where their mouths are: Eater Austin is maintaining a list of restaurants and events donating proceeds to Texas flood relief efforts.
Fund Disaster Relief and Recovery
Team Rubicon has already launched two disaster response operations in Texas and expects to deploy hundreds of volunteers to the region. Anyone can help fund those ongoing Texas flooding disaster relief efforts.
Verify Before Donating
During disasters, fraudulent charities and scams often emerge. Before donating, verify organizations through services such as Charity Navigator, which provides ratings and financial transparency data, and Charity Watch, which evaluates how efficiently a charity will use your donation to fund the programs you want to support.
Only donate to established, verified organizations with proven track records. Be wary of:
– Newly formed organizations with no history
– Requests for cash donations only
– High-pressure tactics or emotional appeals
– Organizations that refuse to provide detailed information about how funds are used
Volunteer to Help Texas Flood Victims
Another great way to help Lone Star flooding survivors is by volunteering, especially for disaster response and relief. The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters maintains a list of state and local nonprofits active in disaster relief, including those assisting with current flood responses, and the Texas VOAD chapter has a list of nonprofits accepting volunteers.
Team Rubicon is also deploying Greyshirt volunteers to multiple counties in Texas to help flood victims recover. When Team Rubicon arrives in Kerr and Tom Green counties, these Greyshirts start looking to provide assistance by first visiting the hardest hit areas. As we find clients needing assistance, we create work orders to capture all the client’s unmet needs. Team Rubicon utilizes these work orders to prioritize work that Team Rubicon can do immediately and also refers the clients, via the work order, to other Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
Over the next several weeks those volunteers, known as Greyshirts, will help remove flood debris from around homes, provide expedient home repair, and muck out countless flooded homes so that survivors can begin to recover and rebuild. All services are provided at no cost to the homeowner.
Greyshirts: Sign Up for Disaster Response Operations in Kerr and Tom Green County
Volunteers already enrolled as Greyshirts who want to step into the arena should watch their email and phone and register their availability as soon as the opportunity presents itself. To learn more about current flooding relief operations in Kerr County and Tom Green County, visit Roll Call.
Become a Disaster Relief Volunteer to Serve Flooding Survivors
Not yet signed up as a disaster relief volunteer? Join Team Rubicon and become a Greyshirt to help Texas flood victims now and survivors of other disasters in the future.
Serve Survivors and Communities Safely
No matter how much you want to help, it’s advised that no one self-deploy to a disaster zone. Instead, join a vetted relief organization to lend a hand effectively.
Officials urge the public to allow trained personnel to carry out their work without interference, and to avoid flood-affected areas unless assisting through official channels. Authorities currently do not need food or water donations, emphasizing that monetary contributions are most effective at this time.
The disaster has prompted one of the largest relief efforts in recent Texas history, with organizations like the Salvation Army, World Central Kitchen, and Team Rubicon providing support on the ground. As recovery efforts continue, coordinated volunteer and donation efforts remain crucial for helping affected communities rebuild.
