NAACP Continues Harvey Disaster Relief Aid

HOUSTON, TX – The NAACP, the nation’s foremost civil rights organization, has announced that Interim President and CEO, Derrick Johnson was n the ground at the launch of the Texas NAACP Disaster Support Command Center (DSCC) on Saturday, September 16.

The DSCC will serve as a clearing house for all requests for services and/or resources for victims of Hurricane Harvey, and will also train others in the affected areas to create satellite operations and Disaster Relief Centers. The Center, which will be staffed for 180 days and is housed by the Houston Branch of the NAACP, is the latest in a series of actions taken by the NAACP to support the region affected by Hurricane Harvey.

President Johnson will hold a joint press conference with Texas NAACP leadership to formally announce the DSCC. While on the ground, he and other members of the NAACP team will meet with local officials and tour some of the areas most devastated by the storm.

“We have a moral obligation to lend a helping hand,” said Johnson.  “The road to recovery will be long and arduous, but the NAACP has never yielded in the face of adversity. With teamwork, dedication and the tremendous amount of time our volunteers are willing to offer, we will be there with Houston every step of the way until a full recovery is achieved.”

The NAACP has been proactive in providing aid, resources and support to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Just hours after the hurricane made landfall, the Association put together an online guide that referred people to various shelters, hotlines and agency options for those with an immediate need for rescue and relief.

Within the local community, the North Shore Community Response Team coordinated a remarkable 15-hour operation which succeeded in reuniting 3,500 individuals with their families. That same team recognized that it was necessary to provide food, water and dry clothes to those who had been stranded in the floods, and coordinated with local officials and store personnel to open up a local Wal-Mart. NAACP volunteers were also able to coordinate a fleet of buses to transport local residents to the dry land.

The Houston branch also enlisted members and volunteers to host a “relief barbeque” at the Thurgood Marshall school of law, where they provided food, survival kits and relief services to those in need. The relief effort saw volunteers come out from far and wide, even reaching the younger demographic. Just weeks after heading back to school, Huston-Tillotson University’s NAACP chapter was able to mobilize its students to assist in the rebuilding of Independence Heights in Houston.

The rapid response from the NAACP team, along with the launching of the DSCC are part of the NAACP’s commitment to service for the people. The NAACP has partnered with FEMA and state and local chapters of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to ensure that resources and support are given to those who need them.

In recovering from the disaster caused by Hurricane Harvey, as well as Hurricane Irma and other natural calamities, the NAACP is taking all strides to ensure that communities of color are privy to the resources, federal aid and community support required to rebuild.