HOUSTON – To help donors large and small better target their post-Harvey financial help, the Episcopal Health Foundation has created a map showing where the greatest needs remain.
The foundation took data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to show a ZIP code by ZIP code breakdown of which areas were filing the most applications for help.
"It's a slow process," Randy Holzmueller said. “It’s not a quick fix.”
Holzmueller bought his Bear Creek Village home in 1977 when he came back from the Vietnam War. Several feet of water gutted the house.
"When you see your wife's tennis shoes floating in the kitchen from the bedroom; there's definitely a problem," Holzmueller said. "We didn't have flood insurance because they said we weren't a in a flood plain."
No flood insurance meant Holzmueller needed some help. He applied to FEMA and said he got about $2,200. Not nearly enough to match his needs. For now, he and his wife are living with their daughter while the couple’s home is slowly rebuilt.
There are tens of thousands of people facing the same situation. In fact, Holzmueller lives in a ZIP code with one of the highest numbers of FEMA applications.
File: Top 20 ZIP codes for FEMA Assistance - Episcopal Health Foundation
Rivaling Harvey's destruction was the public's desire to help. Tens of millions of dollars in donations poured in for flood victims.
“You need to couple damage with need," said Elena Marks, president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation.
Marks’ organization put together a detailed map showing which ZIP codes have the highest numbers of FEMA applications. Marks said the purpose is to help people better target their donations.
"That can only happen if people know where the needs are and what the needs are,” Marks said.
Marks said an example is the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. This area suffered some of the greatest devastation.
“We really don’t see the philanthropic resources there,” Marks said.
Marks said in addition to large philanthropic organizations, individual donors can use this information to also decide if they want to donate to traditional charities, or to smaller, grass roots organizations working in specific areas.
“This is information that can help a private donor whose got a hundred dollars they'd like to give to make a better decision than they might if they were just assuming they knew where the greatest needs were,” Marks said.
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