If you have no idea where to donate, I always support Team Rubicon, a team of first responders made up of veteram volunteers (started by a Bruin and Badger) doing amazing work in disaster zones. https://teamrubiconusa.org/
There are towo things that Hurricane Harvey has reminded us all.
One, when faced with adversity, people are can be exceedingly good. There are people from all over America driving to Harvey / Houston with boats to help the rescuers in flood waters. Team Rubicon, World Vision, local support groups are all heading to help in Houston. Neighbors are opening their houses and silly ass Air BnB is helping with that. Donations spike and neighbors help neighbors.
When people ask if I believe in God I tend to answer, "No. Not in the traditional way most people do. But, I do believe that people, working together for a common good are somehow MORE than the sum of their individual parts. And, very often, people work together through churches, and create more good with their spirits combined than they do alone. And if that extra spirit is be attributed to God - I can't argue with them."
Two, climate change makes these disasters worse. As I started saying about 3 or 4 years ago, it doesn't matter if you believe in climate change or not. We have to prepare for the climate to be our enemy.
The extra sea-level rise, the extra heat in the Caribbean this year, the extra heat in the air this year. All that is additional energy and makes natural storms into national disasters. (Or normal fires into infernos, or tornadoes start touching down year round).
I am way past debating this and (I have) moved right on to figuring out how to prepare going forward. Because, as a Economic Geography major in school, I can tell you extra energy in the climate is going to translate into trillions in costs, millions in lives (around the world) and war. We are preparing for the final part, let's get America ready for the first two by building in expectations. Because, as I have also said, it is way too late to prevent this.