Learn how to help Central Texas flood victims

May 29--Here is information on how to help Central Texas flood victims and volunteers.

HOW TO HELP

* For volunteer and flood victim information, call 512-754-2275. Volunteers in Wimberley will be required to register at Cypress Creek Church, 211 Stillwater Road.

* Businesses or corporations can contact 512-947-9771 to donate.

VOLUNTEER CENTERS IN WIMBERLEY/SAN MARCOS:

* Cypress Creek Church, 211 Stillwater in Wimberley. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* San Marcos Volunteer Center at San Marcos Plaza Park, 206 N C M Allen Pkwy in San Marcos. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FLOOD SURVIVOR RESOURCE CENTER

From Wimberley Flood Information 2015 Facebook page: A Flood Survivor Resource Center will be open on Friday and Saturday at the Wimberley Community Center located at 14068 Ranch Road 12. At the Center, affected residents will be able to visit with volunteer disaster relief organizations for assistance in speeding up their recovery and return to normalcy. The Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. both days. A similar service center will be manned in San Marcos on Saturday and Sunday at the St. Johns Catholic Church. Also, affected residents can also call 512-715-4134 to get on the list for recovery clean up assistance from Americorps volunteers.http://www.cityofwimberley.com/

MONETARY DONATIONS

Monetary donations can be sent to: American Bank; Michael L McNeil; For Benefit of: McComb, Carey, Charba Rescue Fund; PO Box 9638; CC, TX 78469

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

* Several agencies have banded together at the Wimberley Community Center for a multiagency relief center for area flood victims. The MARC will be open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in Wimberley and will reopen in San Marcos at St. John Catholic Church Sunday and Monday for 8 a.m.-8 p.m The Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, Austin Disaster Relief, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, Hays County Food Bank and many more are set up to aid anyone who was affected. Bristel Minsker, public affairs for the Red Cross, said people are encouraged to come by or call their hotline for any kind of assistance. If you are secluded and can't leave because of washed out roads or bridges, call 1-877-500-8645 and a crew can come by with food, water, toiletries anything else.

* A shelter is set up at the San Marcos Activity Center and housed 78 people Thursday night.

* Businesses or corporations can contact 512-947-9771 to donate. The families of the missing ask that any landowners not burn any debris as they attempt to clean up their properties in Hays, Guadalupe and Caldwell counties until every missing person is located.

* H-E-B announced Tuesday it will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross and accept donations for flood and tornado victims at all its stores. As of Tuesday, customers can opt to add donations in increments of $1, $3, or $5 to their grocery bill with tear pads at the checkout counter, according to a news release. All funds will go toward "assessments, clean drinking water, food and temporary housing." H-E-B employees also are giving more than 5,000 disaster relief cleanup kits -- which include trash bags, gloves and inspect repellent -- to residents returning to their homes.

* Whataburger officials posted on their Facebook page Tuesday: "To help our neighbors affected by the flooding in Central Texas, Whataburger has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross. Much is still needed to help the families in this time of great need, so please click here to find out more ways you can help with the relief effort."

ITEM DONATIONS

* Diocese of Corpus Christi will be taking donations at all masses at the parishes of the Diocese of Corpus Christi on Saturday and Sunday to help the families and residents affected by the Wimberley flood. The proceeds will be sent to the Diocese of Austin and ultimately to Catholic Charities of Central Texas. In a news release, Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey encouraged all to be generous with their monetary gifts and especially with their prayers for those who have been impacted by this tragedy. For information and to make donations: http://ccctx.org/programs/disaster/

* Freedom Fitness locations in Corpus Christi, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley will be collecting donations during gym hours for the next two weeks. Freedom Fitness general manager, Leslie Messer said donation boxes at both Corpus Christi Freedom Fitness locations at South Alameda and Sunrise Mall will be near the front desk. Any Freedom Fitness member who donates $25 worth of goods will receive a gift certificate for one free month to be used on the membership or to give away to a friend or family member.

* Bumstead Properties at 14254 South Padre Island Dr. Suite 217. is collecting donations of water, paper towels, plates, napkins, shovels, flash lights, batteries, cleaning supplies and nonperishable food until Thursday evening. Agent Fallon Jennings said anyone who is interested in dropping off donations should call or text 361-510-5655. All donations will be taken to Wimberley early Friday.

* Club Estates Elementary School will be collecting air mattresses, wheel barrows, over the counter pain relievers, flat shovels, medical masks, gloves, rubber boots, brooms, spongers, scrub brushes, mosquito spray, empty spray bottles, mops empty tubs and lids and Walmart gift cards. Club Estates Elementary staff will be taking the items to Wimberley Friday but people are encouraged to continue to drop off items through next week. Information: 361-903-0078 or 361-946-0607.

* Neessen Chevrolet in Kingsville will be collecting donations for all of those in Alice, Bishop, Ricardo, Riviera, Driscoll and Robstown who wish to donate but can't make the drive to Corpus Christi donation locations. The dealership will be receiving items from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday and is located a 2007 US Highway 77, Kingsville. Items needed include: toiletry items, cleaning supplies, mosquito spray, pet food, water, nonperishable food, gift cards and monetary donations. Information: 361-592-2668.

* First Title Company also is accepting donations for the Central Texas flood victims at Holly Oaks Professional Plaza, 5402 Holly Road, Suite 2202, Corpus Christi, TX 78411. Items needed: Large storage containers with lids, heavy duty trash bags, flashlights with batteries, can openers, tools, laundry baskets, gift cards, first aid items, toiletry items, laundry detergent, canned tuna/chicken, single serve snacks, peanut butter, paper products, cleaning products and water.

* Reserve at Saratoga apartment complex is collecting toys for children, water, non-perishable food, toiletry items, trash bags and gloves from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The items can be dropped off at the leasing office, 5701 Saratoga Blvd. Leasing consultant, Salina Ruiz said the staff plans to take the items to Wimberley June 6. Information: 991-8900.

* Donations of water, nonperishable food, paper products, first aid items and cleaning supplies for Wimberley flood victims can be dropped off at the office of Dr. Bryan Gulley at 6421 Saratoga Blvd. or Apollo Towing at 6342 Harwick Drive. Information: Shannon Gulley 361-816-3030 or Dorsey Shedd 361-290-0933.

* Bay Area Title Services is accepting donations at 5926 S. Staples St., Suite A, to be delivered to Central Texas flood victims. Items needed include water, large storage containers with lids, trash bags, flashlights with batteries, can openers, tools, laundry baskets, gift cards, first aid items, toiletry items, paper products (plates, towels, cups) and cleaning products. High protein canned goods including chicken and tuna, peanut butter and single-serving snacks also are needed. Monetary donations can be made to the Barnabas Connection, a community organization in Wimberley, at PO Box 737, Wimberley, Texas, 78676. Information: www.barnabasconnects.org.

ONLINE DONATIONS

* GoFundMe: The official account benefiting the missing Corpus Christi families: http://www.gofundme.com/vf7f26s

* www.barnabasconnects.org/join-us/

* www.themercycoalition.org

TIPS IN CLEAN-UP/ REBUILDING PROCESS

The Texas Attorney General's Office offers these tips for residents who are working to clean up and/or rebuild their homes after recent floods:

* Only do business with licensed or bonded contractors or builders

* Consult the Better Business Bureau to ensure you are working with a trustworthy business. https://www.bbb.org/>

* Contact an insurance adjuster to get an estimate of the damage and repair cost

* Be wary of contractors who solicit services door-to-door, especially those who are unfamiliar or from out of town

* Know that under Texas law, the door-to-door seller must advise you orally and in writing that you have a right to cancel the sale within three days. Click here for more information. (Link: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/the-3-day-right-to-cancel-a-purchase)

* Get the salesperson's license plate number

* Don't rush into signing a contract, and never pay up-front for promised work

* Secure the terms of any warranty work in writing

* Ask for references, or rely on recommendations from friends or relatives who have had experience with honest contractors

* Although Texas' price gouging law prohibits vendors from illegally raising prices to reap exorbitant profits during a disaster, it does allow retailers to pass along wholesale price increases to customers. Thus, in some cases, increased prices may not necessarily signal illegal price gouging.

LEGAL SERVICES

* The State Bar of Texas is offering free, limited legal help to low-income people who have basic legal questions following flooding and other severe weather. Qualifying callers can leave a message through the hotline at (800) 504-7030 to be connected with Texas lawyers who have volunteered to "help with such issues as replacing lost documents, insurance questions, landlord-tenant issues, and consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process," according to a news release. The hotline will be answered in English and Spanish. More information is available at texasbar.com/floodresponse and texaslawhelp.org. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid also is offering free legal assistance with insurance claim denials, problems with landlords or mortgage companies, price gouging and replacing important legal documents. Callers can leave a voice message at 1-866-757-1570. The hotlines is staffed Monday-Friday, and messages will be returned as soon as possible. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid also posted free legal fact sheets on its website at www.trla.org/centexfloods.

* Additional resources: texasbar.com/floodresponse and texaslawhelp.org

LOST AND FOUND

* People in Wimberley are posting on Facebook photos of recovered property and pets in the groups Wimberley Flood Lost and Found and Found Photos from Wimberley. The University of Texas at Austin's School of Information is offering to help flood victims restore papers and photographs, textiles, scrapbooks, books and other sentimental objects recovered from the flood. The items should be frozen if possible and not thrown out, according to a news release. Salvage workshops in the nearby areas affected by flooding also are planned within the next few weeks. For advice on document conservation or to host a salvage workshop, contact the school at 512-903-9564 or [email protected].

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