Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful storm to hit Texas in 50 years, wreaked havoc on Friday. The area of Texas that's currently underwater is comparable to the distance between New York and Boston. And the worst is yet to come.

Now a Tropical Storm, Harvey will continue to devastate this large geography for the next several days, delivering as much as another 30 inches of rain and producing destructive tornadoes. 

Walking around the Silicon Labs headquarters in Austin today, it was impossible not to stop and talk about the devastation impacting fellow employees, family and friends who live and work in Harvey's destructive path. 

Thousands are without power and stranded in their homes. Major roads flooded, rail lines shut down, and schools, airports, hospitals, and nursing facilities closed – and the storm isn’t over yet.

During this challenging and emotional time, we need to come together as a community. Businesses, government agencies, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and others must contribute and coordinate emergency relief efforts to help as many people as quickly as possible.

"I am calling upon other technology community leaders in Austin to make sure Harvey’s impact is met with an equally strong response – a commitment to provide disaster relief, infrastructure repair, and help rebuild lives and our economy in the wake of this storm," said John Hollister, Silicon Labs CFO and chair elect of the Red Cross Central Texas board of directors. "Silicon Labs is donating $50,000 to the Red Cross for disaster relief and will match contributions up to $2000/employee." 

How You Can Help

We must do everything possible to support our communities during this natural disaster.

• Donate to the Red Cross online, by calling 1-800-RedCross, or texting HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation. (Note: financial contributions allow more flexibility than in-kind donations). 
• Volunteer with the Red Cross, you can visit redcross.org to submit a volunteer application. 
• Comment below with ideas of how we can use technology, including our products, to help during the aftermath.
• If you're an Austin tech company or employee, we urge you to join the challenge to raise $500,000 for the Red Cross here: http://www.redcross.org/hightechchallenge-pub. 

How Your Donations Will Make an Impact

• More than 6,000 people took refuge from the deadly storm this weekend in Red Cross shelters. FEMA estimates about 30,000 people will need emergency shelter. 
• Millions of people are facing flash floods, including the entire Houston metro area, which is under a flash flood emergency. Money donated to the Red Cross will provide shelter, health services, ready-to-eat meals, comfort kits, and cleaning supplies to storm victims.
• Water rescues are still occurring. The Red Cross mobilized more than 200 emergency vehicles to help with safety issues.
• The Red Cross is mobilizing its partners to support feeding, child care, and disaster services.

We will feel the devastating aftermath of this storm for years to come, so please continue to provide your time, talents, and financial resources to help.