Any UUers victims of Hurricane Harvey?

Joyful Uke

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I've been wondering if any UUers have been effected by Hurricane Harvey.
While ukuleles aren't at the top of the list of things that those flooded need right now, (food, shelter, clean water, clothes, and so on obviously are more critical), our ukulele community might have some people in need.
 
If there are any, I suspect checking in here is not going to be high on their list of priorities for a few days.

Buuuuuut just in case - I'm out in west Texas with enough land to shove a camper onto. If anybody needs that for a few days, send me a message.
 
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If there are any, I suspect checking in here is not going to be high on their list of priorities for a few days.

True, but someone might know of someone....

And, from my own "100 year flood" experience, (not nearly as horrible as the hurricane being experienced, but still 8 feet of water in the house), sometimes you need a break from the disaster for a few moments, and look to a happier place, which could be UU.

But more likely, someone may know of someone.
 
We got the outer bands of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday here in NW Florida. Heavy rain and the backyard flooded but no real damage. I feel for the folks in Texas and Louisiana because I know from experience what a strong hurricane can do. I know there is an active Ukulele group in Austin. I would think that one or two would be members of UU.
 
Not ukulele related, but it came across my FB feed that Bill Thomas Guitars will help working musicians with damaged guitars or basses. That was such a nice gesture from the music community.

"Working Texas Musicians: If your guitar or bass, electric or acoustic was damaged by the hurricane, let me know. I'll do what I can to get it back in working order. If I have the parts on hand, it'll be completely free. If I have to order parts, you'll get them at my cost. All labor will be free. Stay safe."
 
I've been wondering if any UUers have been effected by Hurricane Harvey.
While ukuleles aren't at the top of the list of things that those flooded need right now, (food, shelter, clean water, clothes, and so on obviously are more critical), our ukulele community might have some people in need.

I am in Houston! We have been among the fortunate as we did not have any water in our home. As is the case with everyone living here, we do have family members and friends who were impacted to a much, much greater degree. In my case, once our electricity was stable, I have received more than a dozen inquiries from friends I have made here on the UU forum over the last year. These gestures have had a very positive impact in my daily life as we try to digest the enormity of what has happened! I am reminded how what a great community this is! Heartfelt thanks to the UU community for all or your kind thoughts, prayers and well wishes!
 
Mezcalero,
Glad you escaped with minimal damage. These storms can be fickle things. Damage can very from one house to the next. Hope your friends and relatives who suffered damage get the help they need to recover.
 
Not ukulele related, but it came across my FB feed that Bill Thomas Guitars will help working musicians with damaged guitars or basses. That was such a nice gesture from the music community.

"Working Texas Musicians: If your guitar or bass, electric or acoustic was damaged by the hurricane, let me know. I'll do what I can to get it back in working order. If I have the parts on hand, it'll be completely free. If I have to order parts, you'll get them at my cost. All labor will be free. Stay safe."

That's great to hear. The only good part of a disaster like this is seeing how people are helping one another. There is still lots of good in the world.
 
I am in Houston! We have been among the fortunate as we did not have any water in our home. As is the case with everyone living here, we do have family members and friends who were impacted to a much, much greater degree.

So glad to see that you're OK.
Sending all the best to your family and friends who were impacted.
I've been making donations where I can, (for humans and animals), and will keep my eyes open for additional needs, too.
 
I am in Houston! We have been among the fortunate as we did not have any water in our home. As is the case with everyone living here, we do have family members and friends who were impacted to a much, much greater degree. In my case, once our electricity was stable, I have received more than a dozen inquiries from friends I have made here on the UU forum over the last year. These gestures have had a very positive impact in my daily life as we try to digest the enormity of what has happened! I am reminded how what a great community this is! Heartfelt thanks to the UU community for all or your kind thoughts, prayers and well wishes!

Wow, good to hear you are ok and our thoughts are with your friends and family and the whole community. If you know of anyone over there that lost a uke or could use one I would love to donate some. I know it’s not a necessity like other things but it could be a source of comfort and it’s what I have. Hit me up with details at andrew@theukulelesite.com, even in the future after this isn’t the top news. It’ll be rough for quite some time for many.

Also, I was researching charities and found Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and Houston Food Bank but maybe someone can chime in if they think certain ones are especially useful. It’s hard to tell sometimes but I try to go with ones in the locale.

Aloha to all our brothers and sisters in you area. Stay strong!
 
I hope David Newton is OK. He used to make some mighty fine Ukes but now sadly only makes and repairs guitars. He's in Beaumont.
 
Thanks Osprey, Joyful Uke for your kind thoughts and well wishes.

Beaumont was a bit forgotten in the news because it happened as Harvey was leaving Houston. Unfortunately, there main water plant was flooded and as a result of supplies normally coming from Houston, they had a serious water shortage for a few days. I think they are past the critical stage now, and in some areas cleanup has begun.
 
Wow, good to hear you are ok and our thoughts are with your friends and family and the whole community. If you know of anyone over there that lost a uke or could use one I would love to donate some. I know it’s not a necessity like other things but it could be a source of comfort and it’s what I have. Hit me up with details at andrew@theukulelesite.com, even in the future after this isn’t the top news. It’ll be rough for quite some time for many.

Also, I was researching charities and found Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and Houston Food Bank but maybe someone can chime in if they think certain ones are especially useful. It’s hard to tell sometimes but I try to go with ones in the locale.

Aloha to all our brothers and sisters in you area. Stay strong!

That is incredibly generous of you Andrew! Thanks, I have sent you an email! I also reached out to Eddie M. to see if there is a way to coordinate with the Ukulele Kids club/Luthiers for a Cause to get some instruments into the hands of kids who are stuck in shelters with limited fun distractions. there is a group of us here from uke meetup ready to go in and offer lessons and lead play alongs.
 
If you know of anyone over there that lost a uke or could use one I would love to donate some. I know it’s not a necessity like other things but it could be a source of comfort and it’s what I have.

Fortunately I'm not one of those in need, but it was one of the things I thought about, but didn't know who might benefit, or how to do it.

Definitely not a necessity like clean water, food, shelter, and clothes, but I know it's something that would help me through a difficult time, (and has.) People will need to put their money towards the necessities, and replacing a ukulele might need to be a long ways off, but the comfort and enjoyment that it might bring do make it important.

Thank you, Andrew and HMS, for the offer to those who might benefit from it.

Continued supportive thoughts to all impacted by the hurricane. My flood was minor compared to this one, but still quite devastating, incredibly expensive, and took a long time to just get the basics back on track, (still haven't completed repairs, 4 years later), so I know that this will have an impact on people for years to come. (My ukuleles didn't get wet in my flood, and really did help me through.)
 
Also, I was researching charities and found Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and Houston Food Bank but maybe someone can chime in if they think certain ones are especially useful. It’s hard to tell sometimes but I try to go with ones in the locale.

For animal lovers, I've heard that the Houston SPCA is a good place to donate. I checked with some friends in Texas who are involved with animals, and that was their recommendation, and I've seen it elsewhere as well.

It is hard to tell on some of the others, but there are a lot of options, and I hope that the money goes where it is really needed.

Edited to add: While there is an influx of money right now to many organizations, they'll need assistance down the road, too, so if you can't help now but would like to, I'm sure that assistance a bit later will be greatly needed, too.
 
That is incredibly generous of you Andrew! Thanks, I have sent you an email! I also reached out to Eddie M. to see if there is a way to coordinate with the Ukulele Kids club/Luthiers for a Cause to get some instruments into the hands of kids who are stuck in shelters with limited fun distractions. there is a group of us here from uke meetup ready to go in and offer lessons and lead play alongs.

That would be fantastic. If there is anything I can do to help, please post here.
 
I hope David Newton is OK. He used to make some mighty fine Ukes but now sadly only makes and repairs guitars. He's in Beaumont.

I've been getting updates from David. He has been one of the very lucky ones so far, and has dodged any flooding. There are other problems he is dealing with such as a skimpy stock of food supplies at the grocery store, lack of municipal water and a nearby bridge that was taken out. He is doing OK and seems to be handling the situation with a cool head.
 
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For animal lovers, I've heard that the Houston SPCA is a good place to donate. I checked with some friends in Texas who are involved with animals, and that was their recommendation, and I've seen it elsewhere as well.

It is hard to tell on some of the others, but there are a lot of options, and I hope that the money goes where it is really needed.

Edited to add: While there is an influx of money right now to many organizations, they'll need assistance down the road, too, so if you can't help now but would like to, I'm sure that assistance a bit later will be greatly needed, too.

Here is another shelter that has been helping with displaced pets ~ http://www.friends4life.org/

The greatest need once things settle down a bit is going to be finding enough people willing to foster these pets until they can be re-united with their owners or re-homed.
 
That would be fantastic. If there is anything I can do to help, please post here.

Mezcalero, Andrew Kitakis (The Ukulele Site), and the LFAC/UKC team are developing a plan. We'll look to report back here as we gain clarity around how to proceed.
 
I just donated to the Red Cross. Never watch the news anymore so I was late to know.
 
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