Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey, the largest storm to make landfall in Texas since 1961, left widespread damage across 50 of the state’s counties. Houston and the surrounding areas received a record 51 inches of rain causing catastrophic flooding, and an estimated 300,000 people are in need of temporary shelter. Millions of people along the US Gulf Coast have been impacted. 

Focus is turning from rescue to recovery in Texas and Louisiana. At the peak of the response period, 32,000 people were in shelters and 67,000 homes were underwater in Houston alone. To get people back in their homes, damage and structural soundness has to be assessed, and then the removal of water, debris, and mold has to take place. Airlink partners are among those still providing volunteers for the recovery process (as of March 2019).

Mobilizing the aviation community, Airlink has deployed more than 300 people across 10 organizations to support response and recovery in Houston and Coastal Bend, thanks to the support of Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, and United Airlines.