Hurricane Harvey Victims Get Help From Metro Detroit

TROY, MI — Help for those displaced by Hurricane Harvey will soon be on its way from Oakland County. Starting Thursday and running through Sept. 8, county employees will be going casual to help raise funds for flooding victims. Employees must donate at least $1 each day to wear jeans and other casual attire.

“We’re asking employees to dig deep and donate more than the minimum amount so that we can show those affected by Hurricane Harvey that, though they are more than 1,300 miles away, we consider them our neighbors,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said.

In addition, Oakland County will collect donated items from employees and the public for the impacted residents of Texas. Coordinating this effort will be Deputy County Executive Phil Bertolini whose brother, John, recently retired from the Houston Police Department after more than 30 years of service.

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“John tells me the devastation caused by the massive flooding is so widespread that they will be in rescue mode for a while,” Deputy County Executive Bertolini said. “Fortunately, John and his family were among the few whose homes were spared from the effects of torrential rains.”

The collection of needed supplies for the victims of the hurricane is still in the planning stages. Over the years, Oakland County employees have donated over $850,000 via casual work days.

Help for the Houston area is coming from many avenues from around Metro Detroit. The American Red Cross is collecting monetary donations. The American Red Cross of Michigan sent dozens of volunteers and about eight vehicles to Texas earlier this week to help Hurricane Harvey victims, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

A number of local businesses and philanthropic organizations have stepped up, too. The Ford Fund donated $100,000 while Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. and The Dow Chemical Co. Foundation donated $1 million, MLive reported.

In Detroit, several restaurants are holding relief events. On Friday, The Royce Detroit is pledging 10 percent of its sales to the Global Giving Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, according an Eater Detroit report.

Also on Friday, the Temple Bar will be collecting $5 donations at the door for flood relief. DJ Pontchartrain will be performing and offering their earnings to relief efforts.

Photo by Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty Images News / Getty Images