how to help

Here's how Houstonians can help those affected by Hurricane Laura

Houston, Hurricane Harvey, first responders, August 2017

The American Red Cross is a "highly rated" organization.

Houstonians have largely escaped Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm that is considered one of the strongest to ever make landfall along northern Texas and western Louisiana coast. (This comes just after Tropical Storm Marco made landfall in Mississippi on August 26.)

Areas such Lake Charles, Louisiana have been especially battered by what the National Weather Service describes as a life-threatening and “unsurvivable” 15 to 20-foot storm surge, winds of up to 150 miles per hour, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes. Houstonians know all too well that recovery from Laura will take days, weeks, months, and even years.

Locally, the Houston Food Bank has amped up efforts to help those in need during this disaster. Starting at 9 am Thursday, August 27, Lakewood Church will be collecting supplies through Saturday, August 29 to help those in east Texas and Louisiana, according to CultureMap news partner ABC13. The church is asking for items such as bottled water, baby wipes, diapers, and baby formula.

Project HOPE tells CultureMap that its emergency response team is being mobilized to dispatch to the Gulf Coast and a dedicated Hurricane Laura relief fund is in place.

For those seeking to contribute, navigating exactly which group or organization is best to donate to can be challenging. To that end, Charity Navigator has vetted what are described as “highly rated organizations” that provide relief and support to those affected with dedicated funds.

The site adds that it will continuously update this resource as other nonprofits providing direct relief are identified and vetted by its analysts.

Here are the organizations vetted by Charity Navigator:

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CultureMap will update this listing.

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RIP, Chauncy

Former ABC13 Houston anchor Chauncy Glover dies at 39

Photo courtesy of ABC13

Chauncy Glover worked at ABC13 from 2015 to 2023.

News anchor Chauncy Glover has died at age 39, according to his family.

The former ABC13 anchor was working in Los Angeles, anchoring newscasts on KCBS and KCAL. Glover worked at ABC13 from 2015 to 2023.

His cause of death has not been released.

"We, Sherry and Robert Glover, along with Chauncy's beloved family, are devastated by the unimaginable loss of our beloved Chauncy. He was more than a son and brother - he was a beacon of light in our lives and a true hero to his community. Chauncy's compassion and dedication to helping others, especially through the Chauncy Glover Project, changed countless lives and inspired so many young men to pursue their dreams. His talent, warmth, and vision left an imprint on everyone who knew him, and the world is dimmer without him," the family said in a statement.

Glover "was bitten by the news bug at the age of 5 when his dad built him his very own mini 'anchor desk' for his newscasts that he would perform for his family every Sunday after church," his KTRK biography said. He later studied broadcast journalism, music and theatre at Alabama's Troy University.

Glover notably created a mentorship program for young men. He started the Chauncy Glover Project now operating in Houston, dedicated to teaching young men acts of kindness and leadership. CGP proudly sent more than 350 boys to college and mentored more than 1,000 young men.

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Read the full story on CultureMap's news partner, ABC13.com.

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