Helping Hurricane Harvey victims long-term
PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Sitting comfortably on the east coast while your friends and family face the devastation of Hurricane Harvey has been a challenge for local residents like Kenneth McDuffie.
"I have Cousins, I have an Aunt that is there and I'm just watching on social media and everyday you see the water rising and rising and rising."
So many have been touched by the storm in Texas but it has to be especially hard to sit there watching your family in trouble unable to do anything.
"When you see a boat coming past your family's home and everybody has to get in this boat…you don't even know where you're going to. Don't know if your house is safe, your possessions are safe……you wanna help but you can't help
Kenneth's family lives in Houston so moment by moment he saw the water rising on Facebook live until thankfully his family was rescued. They were safe but when people in Philly decided to do something he told us he knew he had to help.
"I was going through facebook and a lot of friends and everybody was saying we need help we need help and I kept on posting help is on the way."
Miracle Johnson told us she was also inspired by the need to help people who couldn't help themselves.
"we always say we're the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, lets show it! Philly let's stand up and show it."
So Miracle and her friend Tijania Goodwin decided to be an example to everyone wondering what to do to offer support. Miracle says They saw a need they decided to do something about it.
"We are collecting pampers blankets, baby, wipes, jackets, gently used clothes….and We're gonna drive it there fourteen hundred miles, from my house its twenty two hours and thirty seven minutes."
The ladies and Kenneth have now linked up with a shocking number of donors who are contributing to what it looks like will be several vans worth of supplies that they'll take to Houston later this month.
Tijania says it was an easy decision for her "We just gotta show the love…I feel like driving there is gonna be a humbling experience for all of us. We have people saying they're taking their children with them to show its always good to give back."
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things that we normally don't hear about. To them it's simple we're not helpless, we just have to act, for goodness sake.
If you wish to donate, please email the following: Phl2texas@gmail.com