CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Following the catastrophic destruction Hurricane Harvey caused in Texas, FEMA announced in expects 450,000 people to register as disaster victims and 30,000 to be in shelters.
Even though there are 1,100 miles between Horry County and Houston, many families and businesses have asked how to get involved in the effort to help those in Texas who lost everything.
Camping World in Surfside Beach has a drop-off donation box, but be mindful of what you offer. While clothes and furniture will eventually be needed to rebuild, what needed the most right now is bottled water, nonperishable food, tarps, trash bags and cleaning supplies.
At The Beach RV, located in Conway, is another business determined to help those suffering in Houston.
George Cunningham has a heart for helping, which he credits to being raised in the U.S. where neighbors support one another.
“That’s what America was founded on, neighbors helping neighbors,” says Cunningham. Even neighbors 1,100 miles away.
“We need to do everything that we can no matter how far away you are to help them,” says Cunningham.
The toll Hurricane Harvey is taking on Texas is staggering, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without basic necessities. After 50 inches of rain poured down on Texas, Cunningham says every donation will help.
“We want to make sure that we’ve got as much stuff as we can get in there when it leaves here,” Cunningham says of his 24 foot trailer, which a volunteer plans to haul to Texas for the hurricane and flood victims.
The Conway business owner says his own experience with Hurricane Matthew makes being able to help those in Texas so much more important.
“That building was flooded. That building was flooded,” recalls Cunningham after Hurricane Matthew. “We were about a foot and a half of water in office. I know we are a county that is willing to help. I mean, we’re in the south, and that’s just us. That’s what we do.”
At The Beach RV is located at 806 US HWY 501#c in Conway. Cunningham’s phone number is 843-455-4488. You can also make a donation through the Red Cross.