Hurricane Harvey: How You Can Help In NYC

NEW YORK CITY, NY – As the remnants of Hurricane Harvey continue to batter Texas, New York is stepping in to help. The city and state have already sent emergency responders, but regular city residents can do their bit to help, too.

“I’m asking for all citizens to get involved here,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long said on Monday, according to the New York Times. “Donate your money, figure out how you can get involved as we help Texas find a new normal going forward after this devastating disaster.”

He pointed to the website of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, which lists groups accepting donations to help their work dealing with Hurricane Harvey.

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Those include American Red Cross, Reach Out America, Save the Children and the Salvation Army.

Texas-based organizations accepting donations include Feeding Texas, Texas Crisis Resiliency Team, Texas Search and Rescue and United Ways of Texas.

On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraged New Yorkers to be generous.

"After [Hurricane] Sandy... after 9/11, after our worst tragedy, people came from all 50 states to help in the rescue and recovery efforts," he said at an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn. "We believe in helping our fellow Americans when they’re in need."

Local community-based efforts to send help to Texas are also springing up.

The Hamilton Beach Civic Association in Queens is collecting food and supplies during its Labor Day weekend celebrations.

"As a community, we know all too well what the people of Texas are going through," Roger Gendron, the civic association president, said on Facebook. "In the immediate aftermath of Sandy, we received a huge amount of support from all throughout the country.

"Those donations were vital in our recovery and now here's an opportunity to show how much we appreciated everything that was done for us."

Lead image by David J. Phillip/AP.