Al Sharpton is urging people to find “legitimate” ways to assist with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Texas, saying it’s “not the time” to carp over President Trump’s response to the disaster.
At least 31 deaths connected to or believed to be related to the hurricane have been recorded, according to officials in Texas. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency said that there are more than 30,000 individuals in 230 shelters throughout the state, along with roughly 1,800 people who have been moved from shelters to motels and hotels.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has praised Trump’s response and said the administration has been in touch with him “every single day.” The president agreed to a disaster declaration Abbott requested to expedite relief. Trump — who was in Texas on Tuesday — did not meet with victims, see any rain or visit any flooded streets, according to Politico.
“Now is not the time to showboat,” Sharpton said on the Tom Joyner radio show this morning. “Don’t get caught up in the fact that the president went there and said nothing about the victims and showed no empathy. Get caught up in what you gon’ do.”
He urged people to find meaningful ways to assist the victims rather than obsess over the president’s response. “Find a legitimate charity. Find a legitimate church … so that we can do the right thing because these people need our help and we need to be there,” he said.
He recalled the work that his organization, the National Action Network, did to support relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.
Mayor Bill de Blasio sent 120 emergency workers to Texas from the NYPD, FDNY and EMS. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for his part, announced Tuesday that he sent more New York Air National Guard personnel and aircraft to support relief efforts. He previously sent 104 Airmen, along with three HH-60 Pavehawk rescue helicopters, another HC-130 and several boats and watercraft.
