ORANGE – Texas Senator Ted Cruz capped a day of looking into the remnants of Hurricane Laura by saying, “Texans all across the state, Texans here in southeast Texas are breathing a giant sigh of relief right now. This hurricane could have been much, much worse. We just completed an aerial tour of the region and the damage is much more contained than prior hurricanes have been. Obviously, our hearts are heavy for our neighbors in Louisiana. We toured some of that damage as well. The damage in Louisiana is significantly greater, but given the magnitude of this storm, it could have been so much worse.”
And the storms will get worse: Hurricane Harvey almost exactly three years before holds the record for fastest and strongest intensifications in the Gulf of Mexico, for two weeks it held the record for fastest and strongest intensification anywhere then Hurricane Irma beat that. Laura went from tropical storm 35 miles per hour winds to 150 miles per hour overnight.
Hurricane relief is needed by neighbors in eastern Louisiana area who are recovering from Hurricane Laura. The following items are needed: 1. Tarps, 2. Non-perishable food items , 3. Batteries, 4. Water, 5. Diapers (size 3, 4 and 5), 6. Baby wipes, 7. Disinfectant wipes.
Private efforts including Project Hope (844) 349- 0188, supporting healthcare workers worldwide, Samaritan fund, and others like the Red Cross re gathering donations.
Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner indicated the city is partnering with several local businesses and entities to gather donated supplies for residents who were hit by Hurricane Laura.
The city’s Health Equity Response Task Force, Kroger, Gallery Furniture and Relief Gang are coordinate a hurricane relief effort called “Houston’s Paying It Forward.”
“After Hurricane Harvey displaced many of our family and friends in 2017, people from other cities and states helped Houston recover by donating their time, money and supplies,” Turner said. “Today, we are being called to action for our neighbors who were in the path of Hurricane Laura and are now experiencing great suffering and loss. We cannot sit idly by while they are in need.”
All donated items given to the drive will be sent to Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont, Texas, as well as Sulphur and Lake Charles, Louisiana. Supplies will be distributed to residents trying to recover after their homes and personal belongings were damaged or destroyed by the devastating category 4 hurricane.
The task force started taking donations on Tuesday, September 1.
HTown Meals for Hurricane Laura has a goal of $12,00 from online donations plus water, cleaning products, hygiene and nonperishable foods are getting collected from the George R. Brown Convention Center and Krogers and Gallery Furniture.
National efforts include that President Donald J. Trump amended the emergency declarations for Louisiana and Texas. The President’s action expands the declarations to cover emergency protective response actions that state, local and tribal officials take in the areas affected by Hurricanes Laura and Marco beginning Aug. 22, 2020 and continuing.
FEMA received a request for a disaster declaration from Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday night. The Governor is specifically requesting emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program statewide. The request is under review.
FEMA has mobilized federal response teams to support Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas response efforts to the Hurricane. Regional Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs) are in place in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas state operations centers. National IMATs are also deployed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Denton, Texas. Additionally, several members of the national IMAT are deployed to Louisiana.
In Louisiana, Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes, are eligible for reimbursement for eligible emergency protective measures (Category B). These parishes were previously limited to direct federal assistance, and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support.