Like you, our hearts are breaking over the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and surrounding areas. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have been impacted by the disaster. As a group, this touches us closely, as one of our employees has a parent and younger brother hunkered down on the second floor of their home in Houston.
Despite the painful images and stories coming out of the area, it's times like these when the human spirit shines brightly. People from all over the state of Texas and the entire United States are pulling together to help the thousands of people who have been impacted and/or displaced due to flooding. Selfless rescue workers and volunteers are braving dangerous conditions – many working 24 hour shifts - to rescue people and pets and to provide them with food, clothing and medical attention.
Members of the Altman Team have been making individual donations to various organizations that are on the ground there in Houston, such as The Red Cross, The Humane Society, Samaritan’s Purse, Best Friends and The Houston Food Bank. At our monthly meeting yesterday, we decided that the situation in Texas will be the focus of our charitable efforts for the remainder of this year and possibly into 2018, as this will take a long time to rebuild.
Meanwhile, if you know someone whose home or other assets have been damaged by Harvey, please urge them to do some research on tax and insurance guidelines following a disaster. Obviously, during a time of crisis, filing paperwork may be the last thing on someone's mind, but some issues may need to be addressed more quickly than others. This article in Forbes is a good read: "Claiming a Loss After a Disaster Like Hurricane Harvey"
