Last week, Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas leaving nothing but destruction in its path. Tragically, 31 people have lost their lives to the disaster; and the death toll is expected to rise. And while images of lost loved ones and those who lost everything in the storm's wake, there is no doubt that there has been a large sense of community that has formed for those who have been impacted.

Many celebrities have stepped up and used their personal funds to donate to the Hurricane Harvey efforts. Houston Texans star J.J. Watt raised $15.4 million for his Hurricane Harvey Relief charity, $1 million of which came from Ellen DeGeneres and $200,000 from Drake. The New York Giants also donated about $1 million among Americares, the Red Cross, and the Houston Food Bank. Actors Sandra Bullock and Leonardo DiCaprio each donated $1 million to the Red Cross (Bullock) and the United Way Recovery Fund (DiCaprio).

Miley Cyrus also donated $500,000 from her Happy Hippie Foundation, which she emotionally stated on the Ellen Show “I’m really happy to help in any way that I can and I hope people understand and can put themselves in those people’s shoes, " and “Just to know what it feels like to have everything taken away from you.” Other stars who joined into the recovery effort include Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, the Kardashian family, and Tyler Perry. Miranda Lambert also pledged to rescue at least 100 stray dogs who have been abandoned in the aftermath.

But what's the most powerful is the sense of community that has formed among the locals who have all been devasted by this disaster. Every day new stories emerge of average Texans helping out their neighbors and even risking their one lives to save theirs. Some of these include local boat rescuers pulling people and pets out of their flooded homes, neighbors pushing people out of cars that have been submerged in flood water, and local community and worship centers opening their doors to anyone needing to seek shelter. A sense of unity that seemed to be well gone after almost a year of unrest.

If you would like to donate to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey, check out one of the links below:

https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey?s...

https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/site/Donation2;j...

https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMG...

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?df...