Houston Is Flooded and Five People Are Dead; Next Time, It Could Be Miami UPDATED

Photo by Justin Nava

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Update - The Archdiocese of Miami announced late Monday that a special collection be taken up this weekend, September 2 and 3, in all 109 parishes and missions. The Salvation Army is accepting Hurricane Harvey relief gifts online at helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Or the Red Cross is taking contributions at redcross.org or by texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Life sucks in Houston. Miamians know the feeling.

Journalists for New Times' sister paper the Houston Press have been exhaustively covering Hurricane Harvey, which has flooded parts of Houston and surrounding areas. They have shown the public how to give to food banks and reported that two reservoirs handling rain runoff are in danger of "catastrophic failure."

The tragedy in Texas comes just a few days after the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, which knocked Miamians on our asses. So we can empathize with Houstonians.

The Press has also pointed out there are lesser-known risks. When the big oil companies shut down refineries in the area, they belched out fumes that some groups say are dangerous.

Among the acts of kindness reported: A beer garden in Houston is raising money for restaurant workers displaced by Harvey. And a barbecue joint kept serving through the storm.

Photo by Margaret Downing

The New York Times has reported that five people are dead as a result of the storm, and that number is likely to rise.

So if you have a few bucks and a few minutes, give some money to charities that will help. Here is a list of places to give. Maybe you should follow the lead of comedian Kevin Hart, who contributed $25,000 to relief and challenged an array of celebrities, including Kanye West, to do the same.

Next time, it could be us.