As of mid-week, Hurricane Harvey continues to wreak devastation throughout southeast Texas and Louisiana. More than 30,000 people are in shelters and at least 31 have died due to the storm, which has left much of Houston and the surrounding area under water.

Houston’s Jewish community suffers along with its neighbors. Three-quarters of the city’s 63,700 Jews live in areas with high flooding, three of the five major synagogues sustained flood damage, and dozens of Jewish families have been evacuated or moved to the second floor of their homes. Jewish Federation officials estimate it will take the community years to recover.

Here are ways to offer immediate assistance:

Support Jewish Federations of North America’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to ensure that the needed resources will be deployed both efficiently and effectively on an ongoing basis for as long as necessary. All Federations in the Bay Area region are urging people to donate to this fund.

Go to the ERJCC Donation Page to send funds directly to the Evelyn Rubinstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, which is working with Jewish Family Services of Houston to help people in need.

Purchase e-Gift Cards: Click on the links for the retailers below and purchase eGift Cards and send them to the ERJCC at [email protected], which is distributing these digital gift cards directly to people in need:

• Walmart
• Target
• Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Lowe’s
• The Home Depot
• Randalls
• HEB
• Visa

Donate to IsraAid, an Israel-based nonprofit that provides physical and social support in crises around the world. Staff from its Palo Alto branch are on the ground helping flood victims in Texas.