#HipNJ Helps Houston

By now, you have seen the heartbreaking devastation Hurricane Harvey left in Texas. According to the National Weather Service, Harvey has set a record for total rainfall from a single tropical cyclone in the continental United States– a mind-blowing 48 inches has fallen so far, with more to come.

Here in New Jersey, there are many ways to help our brothers and sisters across the country. Here are a few ways to get involved with some kind-hearted Garden State initiatives:

New Jersey Blood Services

 

New Jersey Blood Donors Can Help • We have been asked to send blood products to hospitals along the Texas-Louisiana coast. Our friends in Houston at GulfCoast Blood Center have not yet been able to assess the damage to their facility, trucks & blood mobiles. At this point, they do not believe they will be able to run any blood drives through the end of the week. Please help us help them by donating blood or platelets in the next couple of days. Let us know where you live/work & we can help you find a convenient blood drive. We were helped during SuperStorm Sandy & now is our turn to give back❣ #donateblood #makeadifference #support #community

A post shared by New Jersey Blood Services (@njbloodservices) on Aug 28, 2017 at 9:53am PDT

Adopt a Pet

 

We’ve gotten word that everyone’s boarded and Wings of Rescue is in the air with the dogs from City of San Antonio Animal Care Services headed to NJ! We’re ready to welcome them this evening when they land at Morristown and will update later. We will continue to work with The Humane Society of the United States to support Texas in the days, weeks and months to come. The dogs being relocated were in shelters awaiting adoption prior to the disaster–moving them north to the adoption programs of St. Hubert’s and our WayStation destination partners for adoption increases capacity in Texas for sheltering pets directly impacted by the storm, helping to keep families together. To make a gift to help our ongoing efforts visit www.sthuberts.org/harveydogs. Thank you.

A post shared by St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Ctr (@sthubertsanimal) on Aug 29, 2017 at 2:12pm PDT

New Jersey Hospital Association A 150 bed hospital in Texas has reached out to the NJHA looking for volunteer nurses for one to two weeks to fly down and be able to give their staff some relief. All expenses paid, but no salary (volunteer). They need 30 ICU nurses, 30 ED nurses and 30 med/surg/telemetry nurses.

Contact info for person at NJHA: Aline M. Holmes, DNP, MSN, RN Senior Vice President, Clinical Affairs New Jersey Hospital Association (t)609-275-4157 AHolmes@NJHA.com

Joe Leone’s Italian Specialties 

 

Every drop counts. Swipe left for info on how we can help the victims of Hurricane Harvey. #joeleones #italianspecialties #hurricaneharvey #texas #pointpleasantbeach #donate #water

A post shared by Joe Leone’s (@joeleones) on Aug 31, 2017 at 9:30am PDT

Spotlight On: Sandy survivor plans to open home for Harvey victims.

Guy Madsen owns two homes in Seaside Heights. They are usually empty once Columbus Day rolls around, but he plans to allow victims of Hurricane Harvey to live in them for free.

Spotlight On: Pa., N.J. volunteers mobilize for Harvey relief in Texas.

New Jersey dispatched 16 of its Task Force 1 members on Sunday, as well as three New Jersey State Police personnel, according to Laura Connolly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.

Our thoughts are with you, Houston.