houstonians helping now

Here's how to help Houston relief groups rushing to aid Hurricane Ida victims

Crowd Source Rescue Houston truck flood Ida water boat

A CrowdSource Rescue truck and boat in action.

Photo courtesy of CrowdSource Rescue

On the same day that Hurricane Katrina struck 16 years earlier, Ida pummeled Louisiana’s coast for some 16 hours. The Category 4 hurricane, which ravaged the gulf on the afternoon of Sunday, August 29, was finally downgraded from a Category 4 Hurricane on Monday, August 30 by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Winds reached 150 miles per hour, a tie for the fifth-strongest hurricane to strike the mainland U.S., according to the hurricane center. In Ida’s aftermath, one person is reported dead in Prairieville, a suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, per ABC News.

The entire city of New Orleans was without power on Sunday afternoon; the city’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness cited “catastrophic transmission damage” for the power failure on Twitter.

Now, 1,000,000 Louisiana residents are without power, per CultureMap news partner ABC13. To assist, CenterPoint Energy has deployed more than 70 workers to the region, the company noted on Facebook.

“This thing is nuts,” Matthew Marchetti, founder of Houston-based relief operation CrowdSource Rescue, tells CultureMap. “We have people [there] on the roofs of their houses in 90-mile-per-hour winds.” Deep waters mean CrowdSource teams can’t get trailers into the area, helicopters can’t fly due to rain, and the flooding makes it impossible for light medium tactical vehicles to enter, he adds. “So they’re pretty much stuck.”

Still, Houston-based rescue teams are undeterred and are already en route and have mobilized to assist Louisianians. As was the case in Harvey, these local, independent groups are often first on the scene and even assist Red Cross and other workers who arrive later.

Importantly, these Houston groups are in need of financial support and the following items — either directly donated to their warehouses or via funds:

Generators
Chain saws
Bottled water
Non-perishable food items
Diapers
Pet food
Toiletries
Bleach
Cleaning supplies

Houstonians who wish to help home-grown rescue groups that operate with low overhead and administrative costs can donate directly to the following:

The Relief Gang
Website: Angel By Nature
PayPal: reliefgang@gmail.com
CashApp: $RELIEFGANG1
Text: RELIEFGANG to 707070
Created by Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth and DJ Mister Rogers, The Relief Gang assists locals in need on a daily and weekly basis, as well as state neighbors during storms. Armed with a fleet of “some of the best monster trucks on earth,” Trae tells CultureMap that he and his team will work around the clock and sleep in their trucks.

The Relief Gang will also accept donations at a warehouse this week (check the site for updates).

Trae and his team worked through Harvey, Winter Storm Uri, and are committed to helping anyone in need. “We pay it forward,” he says. “You never know when we need help again, so we show up.”

CrowdSourceRescue
Website: CrowdSourceRescue
Marchetti’s group became social media and media stars thanks to quick mobilization, delegation, and connection during myriad storms. A veteran of 18 hurricanes, Marchetti empathizes with his neighbors.

“We’ve had a special relationship,” he says. “Louisiana is one of the poorer states that’s had the crap kicked out of it for two years.” He adds that he’s especially concerned about the diabled and elderly as time drags, and that this storm could cost in the “50-billion range.”

Already on site, Marchetti’s group is accepting funds via the site and will host donations at a Midtown warehouse (check the site for updates). “We saw what happened with Katrina,” says Marchetti. “It’s our generation’s time to not screw this up —we’re not going to let that happen again.”

D.R.R.S.
Website: https://www.drrscorp.org/
Donate or volunteer: Call 833-999-2911 or email info@drrscorp.org
Boasting the motto “When no one else can,” this Baytown group was founded in the wake of Harvey and counts military, fire fighters, paramedics, law enforcement, and other first responders as members.

Through 19 tropical deployments, the Disaster Rescue Response Specialists team has rescued hundreds during natural and man-made disasters. Donations are appreciated; the group is especially looking for volunteers ready to deploy.

Hope City
Website: Hope City Online
Known for rapid response during disasters, this Houston-area church has already mobilized a “Convoy of Hope” in Northern Louisiana with 19 truckloads of relief supplies. “Mercy Chefs” will be providing food and water to first responders and the community.

Mutual Aid Houston
Website: Mutual Aid Houston
The BIPOC-focused group is committed to assisting lower-income locals who need aid quickly, without the hassles of the FEMA approval process. Now, the organization will assist Louisiana residents and is also a top resource to connect to BIPOC-focused groups on the ground in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, here in Houston, Gallery Furniture and Lakewood Church are hosting displaced Louisianans who need a place to sleep.

Kroger has partnered with Gallery Furniture in a program where customers can donate non-perishable relief bags at any Kroger store, or drop off donations at any Gallery furniture store. These donations will be delivered along with trailers of water later this week, led by Gallery Furniture’s flood vehicle.

Houston Food Bank needs volunteers to build disaster boxes containing crucial food and supplies. Morning, afternoon, and evening shifts are available; register online.

Chris Shepherd’s Southern Smoke Foundation is prepared to assist food and beverage workers in the Gulf Coast in crisis namely by encouraging those workers to apply for emergency relief funds online — once they are able to quantify storm damage and need.

Space Cowboy at the Heights House Hotel will host a Hurricane Ida relief drive on Thursday, September 2. Participants are asked to drop off relief supplies mentioned above (no heavy equipment). Those who donate will receive free red beans and rice. Space Cowboy also is seeking volunteer drivers to help deliver the supplies to Baton Rouge on Friday, September 3. To sign up, email info@spacecowboyhou.com.

Market Square Tower downtown ( 777 Preston St.) is accepting relief items mentioned above (no heavy equipment; board games and children’s toys are encouraged) from 9 am to 6 pm now through September 2.

Additionally, ABC13 has rounded up a list of areas where Louisiana visitors can find food and water.

Speaking of Louisiana visitors, cherished Houston-based homeless youth shelter Covenant House Texas is helping to relocate and house 60 homeless New Orleans youth, as Covenant House New Orleans currently has no power. Covenant House Texas (1111 Lovett Blvd.) desperately needs monetary donations (donate here) or supplies mentioned above. Supplies must be new and can include:

Cots
Personal hygiene kits (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, combs, brushes, nail clippers, soap, shampoo, conditioner)
Digital thermometers
N95 masks
Laundry detergent
Towels and washcloths
Pillow cases
Twin sheet sets
Blankets
Snacks
Bottled water
Men's boxer briefs — all sizes, any color
T-shirts – all sizes, any color

Exclusive Furniture has opened up all seven of their retail location and one distribution center as drop-off sites for drop off of toiletries, tarps, cleaning supplies, baby diapers, baby formula. Exclusive Furniture will also be donating:

10,000 water bottles
5,000 rolls of toilet paper
50 twin mattresses
Additional toiletries (baby wipes, diapers, formula, & hygiene supplies) collected throughout the weekend Labor Day Drive

“We have partnered with a boots on the ground disaster relief non-profit, the Global Empowerment Mission [learn more here], and $10K of our proceeds from this Labor Day Weekend’s Sale will go directly to those most affected,” said Sam Zavary, CEO of Exclusive Furniture, in a statement.

Valobra Master Jewelers is partnering with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, the Harris County Precinct 1 and the St. Anne’s Catholic Community for a Hurricane Ida relief drive running through Wednesday, September 8.

Donations of supplies and non-perishable food (see suggesting items above) to the store (2150 Westheimer Rd.) will be transported directly to the New Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and distributed by sheriff’s deputies to residents impacted by Hurricane Ida.

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CultureMap will update this article.

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Texas Primary Election

Talarico wins Texas Senate Dem showdown while Republicans head to runoff

Senate Candidate James Talarico Holds Primary Night Event

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

James Talarico won the Texas Senate Democratic nomination on March 3, 2026.

DALLAS (AP) — State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in an expensive and fiercely contested Texas Senate Democratic primary that once again has the party dreaming of a big upset in November.

Who Talarico will face depends on a May runoff between longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton — a race expected to get increasingly nasty over coming months and could hinge on whether or not President Donald Trump offers an endorsement.

Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, on Tuesday, March 3 kicked off midterm elections with control of Congress at stake and against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

No Democrat has won a statewide race in the reliably Republican state in over 30 years, but in a statement after his victory, Talarico proclaimed “We're about to take back Texas.”

Crockett’s campaign said she planned to sue over voting issues in Dallas and she spoke only briefly on Tuesday night to warn that “people have been disenfranchised."

Republicans head to round 2
Cornyn, meanwhile, is seeking a fifth term but is facing a tough challenge from Paxton, the state attorney general. Cornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek re-election and not be renominated.

The GOP contest also featured U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished a distant third and conceded. But him making it a three-way race made it tougher for any candidate to reach the 50% vote threshold needed to win the nomination outright and avoid the May 26 runoff.

All three campaigned on their ties to Trump, who did not make an endorsement in the race. Now both Cornyn and Paxton will again fiercely compete to curry the president's favor.

Cornyn was facing a tough enough battle that he didn't hold an election night party. Instead, in comments to reporters in Austin, he sought to make the case that a runoff win by Paxton would leave “a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans.”

“I’ve worked for decades to build the Republican Party, both here in Texas and nationally,” Cornyn said. “I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton to risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years.”

Addressing supporters in Dallas, Paxton made a point of saying he felt like he had during a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate. He also proclaimed: “We proved something they’ll never understand in Washington.”

“Texas is not for sale,” he said.

Cornyn’s cool relationship with Trump is part of what made him vulnerable. He and allied groups spent at least $64 million in television advertising alone since July to try stabilize his support.

Paxton, who began campaigning in earnest only last month, has made national headlines for filing lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He remained popular in Texas despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, of which he was acquitted, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife.

Senate GOP leaders, who are backing Cornyn, worry that Paxton’s liabilities would make it harder to defend the seat if he is the nominee — and require significant spending that could be better used elsewhere.

Confusion at some polling places
In the Democratic campaign, Crockett and Talarico each argued that they would be the stronger general election candidate in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024.

Voting was extended in Dallas County and Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters reported being turned away and directed to different voting precincts because of new primary rules. Paxton’s office later challenged a decision keeping the polls open longer, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 pm should be separated from others.

It was not immediately clear how the court’s action would be carried out or how many eligible ballots remained to be counted in Dallas County, Crockett’s home base. Crockett said she would seek legal action after voting was concluded.

And in Harris County, which includes Houston, a spokesperson said that as of 10 pm there were still voters at 20 centers.

Democratic race featured clash of styles
Crockett and Talarico waged a spirited race as Democrats look for their first Senate win in Texas since 1988.

Crockett has built a national profile for zinger attacks on Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas. Talarico, a seminarian who often references the Bible, held rallies across the state, including in heavily Republican areas.

“We are not just trying to win an election," a jubilant Talarico told supporters in Austin before the race was called. “ We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it’s working.”

Dallas voter Tanu Sani said she cast her ballot for Talarico because he “really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify.”

Tomas Sanchez, a voter in Dallas County, said he supported Crockett because “she cares about immigrants, she cares about the American people in a way that a lot of the Republicans have proven they haven’t.”

Talarico outspent Crockett on television advertising by more than four to one as of late February. He got a burst of attention — and campaign contributions — last month from CBS' decision not to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled the interview for fear of angering Trump's FCC.

Other key primaries
Texas’ races also featured new congressional district boundaries that GOP lawmakers — urged on by Trump — redrew to help elect more Republicans. The result matched several Democratic incumbents in primary fights and set up new general election battlegrounds.

Republican former Rep. Mayra Flores was attempting a comeback but was defeated by Eric Flores, a lawyer endorsed by Trump, for the nomination to run against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. Mayra Flores made history in a 2022 special election as the first Republican to win in the Rio Grande Valley in 150 years but lost her bid for a full term later that year.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz.

Another incumbent GOP incumbent, Rep. Tony Gonzales, was considered vulnerable after an alleged affair with a staffer who killed herself. He was challenged by gun manufacturer and YouTube influencer Brandon Herrera, who calls himself “the AK guy.” The two will head to a runoff in a district that includes Uvalde, site of a deadly 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira clinched the Republican primary to succeed GOP Chip Roy in southwest Texas.

Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy winner, won his party's primary in South Texas against physician Ada Cuellar. Pulido will face two-term Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

In suburban Dallas, Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson was facing former Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and 2024 Senate nominee.

Democratic Rep. Al Green was fighting to stay in office after his Houston-based district was drawn to lean Republican. Green, 78, ran in a newly drawn district against Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, 37, who won a January special election for the current 18th District.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott easily won his primary and will face Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Roy advanced to a primary runoff with Mayes Middleton for attorney general.

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