×

News publications and other organizations are encouraged to reuse Direct Relief-published content for free under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International), given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

When republishing:

  • Include a byline with the reporter’s name and Direct Relief in the following format: "Author Name, Direct Relief." If attribution in that format is not possible, include the following language at the top of the story: "This story was originally published by Direct Relief."
  • If publishing online, please link to the original URL of the story.
  • Maintain any tagline at the bottom of the story.
  • With Direct Relief's permission, news publications can make changes such as localizing the content for a particular area, using a different headline, or shortening story text. To confirm edits are acceptable, please check with Direct Relief by clicking this link.
  • If new content is added to the original story — for example, a comment from a local official — a note with language to the effect of the following must be included: "Additional reporting by [reporter and organization]."
  • If republished stories are shared on social media, Direct Relief appreciates being tagged in the posts:
    • Twitter (@DirectRelief)
    • Facebook (@DirectRelief)
    • Instagram (@DirectRelief)

Republishing Images:

Unless stated otherwise, images shot by Direct Relief may be republished for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

  • Maintain correct caption information.
  • Credit the photographer and Direct Relief in the caption. For example: "First and Last Name / Direct Relief."
  • Do not digitally alter images.

Direct Relief often contracts with freelance photographers who usually, but not always, allow their work to be published by Direct Relief’s media partners. Contact Direct Relief for permission to use images in which Direct Relief is not credited in the caption by clicking here.

Other Requirements:

  • Do not state or imply that donations to any third-party organization support Direct Relief's work.
  • Republishers may not sell Direct Relief's content.
  • Direct Relief's work is prohibited from populating web pages designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
  • Advance permission is required to translate Direct Relief's stories into a language different from the original language of publication. To inquire, contact us here.
  • If Direct Relief requests a change to or removal of republished Direct Relief content from a site or on-air, the republisher must comply.

For any additional questions about republishing Direct Relief content, please email the team here.

As Houston’s Vulnerable Neighborhoods Inundated by Floodwaters, Direct Relief Continues to Equip Area Clinics

News

Hurricane Harvey

By Lara Cooper
Click on the Hurricane Harvey map to view Direct Relief’s health care partners, flood levels, social vulnerability and open Red Cross shelters in the Houston area. (Map by Andrew Schroeder/Direct Relief)

As the flooding impacts continue throughout Texas, Houston is being inundated by water, with active rescue efforts taking place in many areas.

The city is struggling to cope with record amounts of rain in the city. Two of the city’s reservoirs were undergoing a controlled water release on Monday, and Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner stated that 5,500 people had arrived in city shelters.

While flooding levels will vary across Houston, not all residents will be affected the same way.

Communities with large numbers of recent immigrants or persons for whom English is not their first language may be less well integrated into existing resilience structures, or in some cases experience social isolation and discrimination. Many other factors, such as housing and transportation, also exist. When looked at collectively, they indicate a community’s “social vulnerability” to disasters.

The data which drives Direct Relief’s social vulnerability application is based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index model, updated as of the end of 2014. The model uses census data at the census block level to understand relationships between different ways that disaster-affected communities may experience significant challenges in response and recovery in order to tailor resources, communications and planning to their needs.

The map above shows all of Direct Relief’s health care partners – free clinics and health centers that are often the first line of medical aid in their communities.

The map also shows the social vulnerability index of each census tract, the darker the color, the more vulnerable the area. By clicking on a census block, you can pull up precise information on how many people are uninsured, over 65, disabled, and speak limited English – as well as an overall social vulnerability score. The map also shows flood level stations, many of which are recording high levels of water disproportionately in census tracts with high social vulnerability.

The map also shows open Red Cross shelters in the Houston area.

Direct Relief is continuing to support efforts in Houston and throughout Texas, especially those health clinics who are reaching out to the most vulnerable.

Filed Under: , , , , , ,

Giving is Good Medicine

You don't have to donate. That's why it's so extraordinary if you do.