Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on Aug. 25, Pikesville resident Dr. Arthur C. Abramson has watched the hurricane’s progress closely.
“The Jewish community in Houston is right alongside a bayou,” said Abramson, a former Houston resident. “That’s where the federation building is, there are shuls there, there’s a nursing home. It would be as if Park Heights Avenue were right across the street from a bayou. And bayous flood. And there are no draining systems in Houston.
“It’s all concrete and it’s flat, so there’s nowhere for water to drain when it rains,” he said. “Whenever we go there, we’ve remarked how much Houston has not done to shore things up.”
A Category 4 storm with 130 mile-per-hour winds, Harvey has so far killed five, flooded and destroyed countless homes and businesses, and trapped thousands of Texans in their homes. The hurricane has been particularly devastating for Houston’s Jewish community where Abramson, former executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, worked from 1983-1990 as community relations director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.
In response to the disaster, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore has set up a relief fund to help storm victims. The Associated will donate 100 percent of the money collected by the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to help storm victims.
The Jewish Federation of Howard County is encouraging donors to contribute to the Jewish Federation of North America’s relief fund campaign for hurricane victims (jewishfederations.org).
“The Associated leadership has watched with deep concern the horrible flooding and disaster in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey,” said Associated President Marc B. Terrill. “Our hearts and prayers are extended to all those in the region. We are setting up a disaster relief mailbox to provide much-needed funds to the devastated areas and will be continually researching ways that we can provide in-kind support to the organizations and people in need. This is an unfolding event and we will continue to assess our response as the needs evolve.”
Terrill promised that The Associated’s leadership will “continue to keep those in the affected areas in our thoughts and prayers. … In times of crisis, this is the strength of the federation system in action. We will work with our partners in the region including the federations, JCCs and other organizations in the area to address the most pressing needs to those who need assistance.”
So far, Harvey has brought as much as 30 inches of rain to such coastal cities as Corpus Christi and Houston, and also drenched inland cities like San Antonio and Austin. Alarmingly, the storm shows no signs of abating. Harvey is expected to dump approximately 20-30 additional inches of rain in Texas and may also impact parts of Louisiana before ending later this week.
As for Abramson, he’s keeping in regular contact with close friends in Houston. “It’s a tight community,” he said. “They’ll rebuild. They’ll have to. I just hope not too many get hurt. They have lost a tremendous amount.”
Abramson urged members of the Jewish community to provide relief for hurricane victims. “Baltimore’s Jewish community always steps up, but other communities should step up, too,” he said. “They should respond just like Baltimore always does.”
To donate to the Associated’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, visit Associated.org/texasrelief, call 410-369-9300 or send a check to The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, 101 W. Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore, MD 21201.
Donations are also being accepted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston (houstonjewish.org) and are distributed there by Jewish Family Services (jfshouston.org).
In addition, Seasons supermarket in Pikesville will dispatch a convoy of trucks filled with items (such as paper goods and cleaning supplies) to Houston on Sept. 4. Drop off times at the Pikesville location are Aug. 31 from 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Sept. 1 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (seasonskosher.com/Houston).
Photo: Houston resident Lee Padilla walks down a street flooded by Hurricane Harvey last Sunday Aug. 27. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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