It has now been a week since Texas was first struck with the devastating Hurricane Harvey (or Tropical Storm Harvey). Though the worst part of the storm is over, the damage done will take multiple years to be fully taken care of. Most people that have evacuated are now returning home, but many people have nothing left to return to. Even so, the threat of flooding is still present in some areas as rivers overflow at extremely high levels; the water may take weeks to recede completely, but now that the storm is slowly coming to an end, recovery efforts have been made in places dry and calm enough to do so. It is estimated that around 185,000-186,000 homes have been ruined/damaged, and about 45 people have died from the catastrophic storm.

Texas has been hit with more disasters as Arkema’s Chemical Plant has suffered from two chemical related explosions. The chemicals contained inside the plant needed to be kept at a cool temperature, but due to all the flooding, the storage containers malfunctioned and the heat caused the chemicals to burn. Only around 18 first responders have been hospitalized, but as of now there have been no related deaths.

While much help has been provided for the people affected by the storm many people are saddened for the animals that have been abandoned and orphaned. For those who want to donate, here are just a few organizations that help the animals lost during this disaster.

• Wings of Rescue is a group of pilots who fly pets to safer places, where they either have a better chance of being adopted or in general just need a safe place to go.
• American Humane Association’s Responders are already in Texas helping with rescuing stray animals and providing help in shelters.
• Petco Foundation has already donated 2.3 million and planning to donate more as our own donations keep going in.
• “I and Love and You” have been donating 20,000 meals to animal shelters in distress.

On a bit of a lighter note, we received our own brief, but heavy rain yesterday. What surprised residents the most was that it was about 110° outside!