Catastrophic, epic, biblical. These are the words we've heard again and again as Hurricane Harvey continues to bring heartbreaking devastation to Texas and beyond. Over the past few days, I've spoken to several Hadassah leaders and members in the Hadassah Houston Chapter and others in the Hadassah Greater Southwest Region who, with their families, are facing this firsthand. The reports are anything but exaggerated.

Our hearts ache for all the families impacted by this national disaster. More than 30,000 people have been forced into temporary shelters, and nearly half a million have registered for disaster aid, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Like so many organizations' offices, experiencing unprecedented flooding, our own Hadassah office on the ground is unreachable.

Please, keep those impacted in your prayers. And if you can, please do more. Over the past few days, I've heard from so many who want to help. Helping is an expression of Jewish values, of tikkun olam, repairing the world. And so much help is needed, in the short term with rescue efforts and over the long term to help rebuild lives and communities.

Hadassah wants to do its part to alleviate Hurricane Harvey's devastation by directing you to the organizations listed below that have effective disaster response mechanisms in place to help families of all faiths in Texas:

• Jewish Federations of North America Hurricane Harvey Relief
• Jewish Federation of Greater Houston Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
• NECHAMA: Jewish Response to Disaster
• United Way of Greater Houston
• AmeriCares
• Camp Young Judaea Texas Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

In addition, if you're on Facebook, please follow this link to share your thoughts, comments, or words of encouragement for our members impacted by the storm.

B'Shalom,

Ellen Hershkin
Hadassah National President