Hurricane Harvey: How DeKalb Residents Can Help

DECATUR, GA -- As Georgians watch from afar the devastation in Houston due to Hurricane Harvey, DeKalb County officials are responding to residents' inquiries about how they can help. Images and video of the situation in Texas is being watched on local TV newscasts with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

Texas public safety officials said that rescues are their top priority as the storm circles back to make a second landfall. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Hurricane Harvey: Georgia braces for evacuees from Texas

The DeKalb Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), in conjunction with their counterparts in Texas, has listed a number of ways that residents here can help.

Below are some tips from DeKalb officials on how residents can help:

• Don't send unsolicited donations: "Pay attention to agencies and volunteer organizations in the affected areas, which will list their specific needs. Only donate the items requested," the county said Tuesday in a news release.
• Don't take it upon yourself to assist with cleanup, until requested to by agencies: "There are still damage assessments and basic repairs to infrastructure taking place. Due to the unsafe conditions that still remain, wait for an invitation to volunteer."

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• If you can, give financially: "Some organizations taking donations for Harvey recovery are American Red Cross, Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, Food Bank of Houston, Salvation Army, SPCA of Texas, Team Rubicon, United Way of Texas and many others," DeKalb said. "Local churches and organizations may also accept donations. The National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters has more information on its website at www.nvoad.org.
• Don't fall for disaster relief / donation scams: "Look for signs of donation scams, such as refusing to provide detailed identity information, lacking status for tax-deductible contributions, or asking that money be sent by mail or wire services."

The DeKalb Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that it has opened a donation collection center for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Collections began Tuesday at the DeKalb County Jail and the agency’s headquarters at 4415 Memorial Drive in Decatur.

“We are partnering with the American Red Cross for the convenience of DeKalb County and nearby residents who want to support this emergency response effort,” Sheriff Jeff Mann said in a statement. The collected items will be transported to donation centers in the affected areas, he said.

Georgia, particularly Atlanta, is bracing for evacuees from Texas. "The City of Atlanta is prepared to set up and provide temporary shelters to house evacuees in coordination with American Red Cross, Office of Constituent Services, Office of Human Services, and Continuum of Care," a spokesperson for Mayor Kasim Reed said. "The City is also prepared to begin coordination with Georgia Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (GAVOAD) and other partnering agencies to send emergency supplies to Texas throughout the different phases of recovery efforts."

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