NATCHEZ — As the floodwaters continue to rise in Southeast Texas, Miss-Lou residents are mobilizing efforts to help the victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Several local businesses, organizations and the City of Natchez are collecting items to send to Houston, the Texas Gulf Coast and Southwest Louisiana.

The City of Natchez and the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce are collecting bottled water, non-perishable food and toiletries to send to Houston.

Donations can be dropped off at the City Council Chambers at 115 S. Pearl St. in Natchez.

Mayor Darryl Grennell started the donations with baby items, diapers and baby formula he bought before the Monday’s special called meeting of the Natchez Board of Aldermen.

During the meeting, Grennell requested board members to join the effort.

“Make contact with your constituents,” Grennell said to the board. “Let’s see if we can get Natchez and Adams County to step up and help victims in need.”

Across town, local business owners were also setting up collection points for donated items.

“I can’t stand not helping people,” BBs Kitchen owner Leslie Floyd said Monday.

Floyd is working with local chiropractor Monty Warshaw and other business owners to collect items Floyd and Warshaw plan to deliver to Texas.

“We have two trailers,” Warshaw said. “A 12-foot trailer will be parked in Vidalia (outside Warshaw’s office at 1109 Carter St.), and a 24-foot trailer will be parked in front of BB’s Kitchen (at 2 Seargent Prentiss Drive) in Natchez.”

The business owners invite residents to bring non-perishable items to either location.

Recommended items include hygiene products, bleach and other cleaning products,” Warshaw said.

“After all, when the water is gone they will have to come back and sterilize their house,” he said.

Both Warshaw and Floyd helped with flood relief efforts last year in Baton Rouge. Warshaw helped as part of the Louisiana Cajun Navy, a group of volunteers who organized to help Louisiana flood victims.

Warshaw said boots are another item residents should consider donating.

“If you are walking around in the water all day, you would want a pair of rubber boots,” he said.

Floyd said he and his wife are working with other local businesses to donate items, as well. Currently, they have received commitments from Go Mart, Hicks Chicks and Smith Printing.

When both trailers are loaded, Floyd and Warshaw said they would head out to Houston to deliver the donations.

“I hope we can head out sometime next week,” Floyd said.

Members of First Baptist Church in Vidalia are also collecting items to help victims in Texas.

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the church’s gym on Texas Street will be open to receive supplies.

The church is also collecting non-perishable items, including personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, basic medical kits and tools used for gutting houses.

The church will not accept clothing or any used items, coordinator Peggy Daniels said Monday.

The church will be collecting items for the next two weeks, Daniels said.

The church is also organizing a group of volunteers to travel to Houston to help clean muck out of houses after the flood waters have receded in Texas.

The Rev. Wes Faulk said the church helped gut and clean houses in Baton Rouge last year and hoped to do the same in Texas.

“We are going to put on our mud boots and go,” Faulk said.

Volunteers will help remove anything in the flooded houses that is susceptible to mold.

“We will roughly take it down to the frame,” he said.

Faulk said the church would be working with the organization Eight Days of Hope, which will be providing housing and food.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering should call the church office at 318-336-7111, Faulk said.

Other local organizations that are collecting donations for flood victims include:

4Century 21 at 110 N. Union St. in Natchez will be collecting supplies from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week. Collected items will be delivered at the end of the week.

4Sabrina Doré Agency: Shelter Insurance at 1636 Carter St. in Vidalia.

4McCants Mobile Homes in Woodville is collecting items to be sent to Texas at the end of the week.

4Want to add a business or organization to our list of agencies collecting donation for storm relief efforts? Email newsroom@natchezdemocrat.com or add to the post on The Natchez Democrat Facebook page.