Hurricane Harvey

Here again is a thread for info-sharing, updates, checking in, and sharing additional resources on how we can support those affected by the hurricane and flooding. As always, let's keep the thread image-free. Thanks.

A couple items:

[Content Note: Loss of life] Rory Carroll, Tom Dart, and David Smith at the Guardian: Receding Waters Reveal Harvey's Devastation as Death Toll Reaches 44.

Rescuers continued plucking people from floodwaters across Texas on Thursday even as waters receded from Houston, revealing swathes of devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey.

...Emergency crews and volunteers in boats, trucks, and aircraft scoured inundated suburbs around Houston and cities to the east for people still in need of evacuation.

Police rescued 18 people from floodwaters overnight, said Houston's mayor, Sylvester Turner. "Crisis ebbing but far from over."

In dryer areas recovery crews started to assess damage and remove debris. They braced for the discovery of bodies.

...The Texas department of public safety said 48,700 homes sustained flood damage, including 17,000 with major damage and 1,000 that were destroyed. ...32,000 people [were displaced] into shelters.

...The heat aggravated the stench from stagnant waters and flood-damaged properties. "Man, oh-ooh, that is foul," said a shirtless man on Discovery Green, a park beside a convention centre which is sheltering 8,000 people.

The city's health department urged residents to take precautions to minimise the risk of contamination and diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

On that note, my friend Leah McElrath put together some flood clean-up and recovery tips.

Amy B Wang at the Washington Post: Flooding Trapped Workers at a Mexican Bakery for Two Days; They Spent It Baking for Harvey Victims.

As the storm pummeled Houston with record rainfall Saturday, most of El Bolillo's employees were able to leave work. [Brian Alvarado, the manager of the bakery] said he barely made it home before roads became impassable.

Four bakers, however, found themselves trapped inside the Wayside store, just south of Interstate 45 and north of Brays Bayou. Hemmed in by rising floodwaters, the bakers had no choice but to hunker down among El Bolillo's ovens and its now-empty display cases.

On social media, the bakery notified people that it would be closed until further notice.

What Alvarado didn't know was that the four bakers trapped inside the bakery would grow restless.

"They were desperate to get to their families and they couldn't," Alvarado said.

So they turned to what they knew best: baking.

...Alvarado said they didn't count how many loaves they baked but said the bakery's display cases can hold about 3,000 pieces of bread. There could have been about 1,000 more pieces of bread on the counters and cooling racks, he added. He estimated that the bakers used 4,400 pounds of flour.

"They just couldn't handle the stress and they needed to do something, so they just made bread," Alvarado said. "They were just thinking of everybody else, and they just started making bread for the community."

Blub.

Joanna Walters at the Guardian: How to Help People Affected by Storm Harvey. Also good advice here for avoiding "charity" scams.

There is also list of ways to help here. Please feel welcome and encouraged to share additional ways to help in comments.