Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

             Have you ever heard of a disaster relief effort raising $37 million in just a mere 3 weeks? This was accomplished after Hurricane Harvey destroyed and flooded the city of Houston from August 29th to August 30th. Residents of the city were stranded on top of rooftops, in need of food and water, and were in utter shock at the result of this terrible disaster.            

          Hurricane Harvey was the costliest Atlantic hurricane to ever hit the United States, with damages estimated at almost $200 billion dollars. Many homes were unsalvageable, which forced millions of families onto the streets. Rescue operations were bombarded with thousands of calls pouring in from people who needed immediate help. As an alternative to 911, Houston residents took to social media to call out for help and to share their location so rescue boats could easily locate them. Facebook and Twitter were the primary platforms used to send out addresses and names of those who were in dire need of medical assistance. 

          The use of the hashtag #harveyrescue allowed responders to organize their feeds in a way that only showed tweets that used that specific hashtag. In addition to this, responders could archive posts in the order of severity so they could send out the appropriate rescue teams to attend to the injured. 

          The accessibility of these accounts allowed for people to quickly get in touch with responders which was key because the storm disabled over 12 emergency call centers. Some people who were stranded in their homes said that when they called 911, they were put on hold for as long as 45 minutes just to receive help. It was a prime example of technology outpacing the government's ability to manage in these types of situations. These social media platforms have become such effective tools to reach people that police and government officials are using them as an essential means of communication in the event of a natural disaster. 

          But at the peak of the crisis, hundreds of individuals and organizations rallied behind Harvey’s victims, which led to the strongest showings of charity fundraising in recent history. 

          J.J. Watt, a star defensive player for the Houston Texans football team decided to take action. He set up his own Houston Flood Relief Fund on his personal website to raise money to help those who were affected in the terrible disaster. In addition, Watt used his Twitter account to announce the effort and the results were immediate. An incredible $37 million was donated in just three weeks. 

         His original goal of $200,000 was blown away as millions of donations poured in from anonymous people. Celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon, Ellen Degeneres, and Drake were among those who donated, which created a huge wave of followers for Watt’s fund. Obviously, Watt was amazed about how his fund became so popular. “There are not enough words to thank you all for your generosity. If there is one thing I have taken away from these last few weeks, it is the reassurance of how much good is out there in our world.”