Harvey Volunteers Asked To Track Hours Worked For FEMA Purposes, Per Houston Mayor

HOUSTON, TX — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is asking all Houstonians who volunteered in rescue, recovery and relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey to report their hours through a dedicated website. Turner said logging in hours is critically important to helping the city obtain a full reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"By providing citizen volunteers with an easy-to-use platform, this tool will help the City recoup as much in FEMA reimbursements as possible. This is crucial as the City focuses on long-term recovery," said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Reportyourhours.com is one route in which civic technologists partnered with Houston to help during Hurricane Harvey. In a matter of days, volunteers gathered information on shelters and their needs into one map, easily searchable for evacuees and volunteers alike. In addition, the group created a text tool that residents could use to find their nearest shelter, simply by texting their zip code.

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“I would like to thank Sketch City, Station Houston and all the civic technologists who generously and quickly joined our effort to spread accurate information during the storm," Mayor Turner continued. "As we work through the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to continuing to benefit from their creativity and partnership. I also want to thank each and every volunteer who helped, and who continue to help, our City and our region recover from this historic storm.”

Turner noted that any city employees who spent time on Harvey relief should also log their hours.

Top image: Volunteers move boxes of shoes donated by Mythiquer Pickett for students affected by Hurricane Harvey on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, at the Delmar Field House in Houston.

AP Photo by Matt Rourke