Severe Weather and Derecho Recovery Fund

Helping our neighbors in times of need.

The Greater Houston Disaster Alliance (Disaster Alliance), a philanthropic partnership established by Greater Houston Community Foundation (Foundation) and United Way of Greater Houston, has launched the Severe Weather and Derecho Recovery Fund (Fund) to support individuals and families affected by the severe storms, derecho winds, tornadoes, and flooding events that occurred between April 26 and May 17, 2024.

On May 18, 2024, President Joe Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration for these combined events impacting multiple counties, including Harris and Montgomery counties, making federal assistance available to support local recovery efforts. The Fund will complement these efforts by providing grants to local nonprofits to provide emergency financial assistance, home repair, and resource navigation services.

Thank You, Donors!

The Severe Weather & Derecho Recovery Fund has raised $3.1 million!

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all who donated. Your incredible contributions have made a significant impact, and we appreciate your investment in our community’s resilience.

CenterPoint Energy Foundation ($500,000)
Comcast ($500,000 – $250,000 in-kind)
Wal-Mart Foundation ($500,000)
Wells Fargo ($250,000)
ConocoPhillips ($200,000)
ExxonMobil ($200,000)
Bank of America ($100,000)
bp Foundation ($100,000)
Powell Foundation ($100,000)
Randa & K. C. Weiner ($100,000)

Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund ($50,000)
Port Houston ($50,000)
Enbridge ($25,000)
PwC Charitable Foundation ($25,000)
Texas Mutual Insurance Company ($25,000)
AT&T Inc. ($20,000)
QuikTrip ($20,000)
Anonymous ($15,000)
Aramco Americas
Shell USA Inc.

Although the Derecho Recovery Fund is now closed, you can continue to make an impact by donating to the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance, which supports year-round disaster preparedness efforts, enabling us to swiftly help our neighbors recover from any future disasters.

Contact: Angel Harris, United Way of Greater Houston | Kevin Pickett, Greater Houston Community Foundation

Helping Vulnerable Populations

The Severe Weather and Derecho Recovery Fund will serve uninsured and underinsured low-to-moderate income families (ALICE population) affected across the City of Houston, and Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties, focusing on disproportionately impacted zip codes and vulnerable populations. As more data becomes available, we will continue to refine our funding strategy.

~75% of funds will support recovery through home repair and resource navigation.
~25% of funds will support immediate relief through emergency flexible financial assistance.

Round One - June 5, 2024

The Disaster Alliance is investing $1.3 million from its Severe Weather and Derecho Recovery Fund in grants to help area neighbors who are struggling to recover from severe weather that impacted the region over the past month. This round of grants will provide emergency financial assistance for basic needs including food, water, and medication; flexible emergency financial assistance to help households cover various disaster relief and recovery related expenses; and resource navigation support to help people access additional recovery services, such as FEMA and Small Business Administration assistance. To move quickly and efficiently in getting aid to those in need, grants are distributed through a trusted network of nonprofit partners based on capability to provide needed services and geographical reach to affected communities in the City of Houston and Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties.

To better understand community needs and help guide funding considerations, a rapid data analysis was conducted using a variety of data sources to help identify the low-to-moderate income zip codes that were disproportionately impacted by severe weather events. Based on this analysis, 31 zip codes were identified across the City of Houston and Harris, Montgomery and Waller Counties as disproportionately impacted.

Round Two - July 2, 2024

The Disaster Alliance is investing $1,516,000 from the Severe Weather & Derecho Recovery Fund in grants to help area neighbors who are struggling to recover from severe weather that impacted the region over the past several months. impacted the region. The second round of grants will aid impacted homeowners in the City of Houston and Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties with home repair services in collaboration with nonprofit partners who specialize in these services. To move quickly and efficiently in getting aid to those in need, grants are distributed through a trusted network of nonprofit partners based on capability to provide needed services and geographical reach to affected communities in the City of Houston and Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties.

Who Qualifies for Assistance?

Residents of the City of Houston and Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties who were impacted by the severe weather and seeking home repair assistance must complete the Connective Needs Assessment at ConnectiveSurvey.org and file a claim with FEMA in order to be eligible for assistance. Households who are ineligible for FEMA and public assistance, i.e. undocumented or mixed status households, are not required to apply for FEMA to apply for and receive home repair services.

Midterm Report - As of July 2, 2024

168 households had received basic emergency financial assistance (direct cash assistance of up to $500 to help with food, medical, and other immediate needs following the floods and derecho wind)

558 households had received flexible emergency financial assistance (direct cash assistance up to $1,500 to help with temporary housing, home repair/insurance deductibles, and other recovery expenses following the floods and derecho wind).

629 households had received resource navigation services (support connecting with both disaster and non-disaster resources to maximize federal resources and potentially build resiliency). Top referral sources include: FEMA/SBA, Food Pantries, Federal assistance programs (SNAP, Medicaid/Medicare, Social Security), Local community center programs, and Local public services (Harris Center for Mental Health & IDD, Cooling Centers, Housing Authorities)

$849.86 in assistance per household (based on funds spent as of July 2 midterm reports)

Help Seekers

Nonprofit Partners

Call the United Way 2-1-1 Helpline.

If you or someone you care for is Disabled, call/text the Disability & Disaster Hotline: 1.800.626.4959 (provided by The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies)

Report Damages

Complete the Connective Survey to connect to local resources and recovery organizations for the specific assistance you need.

Important Reminder

Greater Houston Disaster Alliance invited nonprofits that provide emergency financial assistance and resource navigation for populations in the hardest hit zip codes in our region to submit round 1 grant applications. There is a lengthy list of worthy and trusted organizations to consider, yet very limited resources. Many people and data sets representing several sectors were consulted at multiple decision points during the process, all with a goal to disburse vital resources as quickly as possible to the most vulnerable people in our four-county region. Check back regularly for additional information on any future rounds of funding that might be distributed.

QUESTIONS?

Sara Martinez at Greater Houston Community Foundation
Brooke Campbell at United Way for Greater Houston

MORE RESOURCES

Visit the For Nonprofits page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is involved in the Severe Weather and Derecho Recovery Fund and how was it formed?

In partnership with City and County leaders, and the Disaster Alliance’s Disaster Recovery Council, the decision to launch the Recovery Fund was based on the significant number of households affected by severe weather in recent weeks and the hardships created by these events on those families who were already struggling before disaster struck.

How will money raised by the Fund be used to help those affected by the storms?

The Severe Weather and Derecho Recovery Fund will serve uninsured or underinsured low-to-moderate income families (ALICE population) in the affected counties of Harris, Montgomery, and Waller, focusing on disproportionately impacted zip codes and vulnerable populations. As more data becomes available, we will continue to refine our funding strategy.

~75% of funds will support recovery through home repair and resource navigation.
~25% of funds will support immediate relief through emergency flexible financial assistance.

What if I need help right now before funds are available?

We encourage you to call the 211 Texas/United Way HELPLINE to find out about available resources. 211 connects our neighbors with help 24/7/365 and is our community’s go-to resource in times of disaster. 211 can connect you with food, childcare, transportation, and other social services, critical information, and community resources.

Please understand that in times of disaster, there can be long wait times due to periods of heavy call volume. Assistance through 211 can also be accessed through the following methods: