Giving Compass' Take:

• GlobalGiving reports on the hardships those in rural Texas are still enduring one year after Hurricane Harvey hit the area; local organizations are trying to provide support.

• Those involved in disaster preparedness and relief must always remember that full recovery can take years, and those in remote areas are often the last to receive help.

• For more on how funders can make an impact in disaster relief, click here.

It’s difficult for Gordon Hatthorn, a Gulf War veteran, to ask for help.

“We’ve always tried to survive on our own, no matter what,” said Gordon’s wife, Tiana.

Since Hurricane Harvey hit their small town of Danbury, Texas, it’s been harder to survive on their own. The storm flooded their house and the office where Tiana worked, leaving her jobless.

The couple lives in their hurricane-ravaged house with their 14-year-old daughter. The walls, once infested with mold, had to be gutted. Their kitchen cabinets and flooring, exposed to more than a foot of dirty flood water, were destroyed, too ...

Nearly half of all Texans who suffered Harvey losses aren’t getting the help they need, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation survey. Most of the hardest-hit families live in Southeast Texas, outside of Houston, on small incomes.

The Hatthorns live outside the 500-year floodplain and didn’t have flood insurance. This is common: Less than 2 in 10 Harvey-impacted homeowners had flood protection, according to the Consumer Federation of America. The Hatthorns received aid from FEMA after months of waiting. But it only covered about one-fifth of what they needed to fix their house. In Texas, roughly half of all Harvey-related FEMA requests were altogether rejected, according to FEMA figures. A FEMA spokesperson said claims were denied for a variety of reasons from missing documents to lack of home ownership to existing insurance coverage.

The Hatthorns didn’t have a solution in sight until they met Cheryl Jones, a GlobalGiving project leader with the American Homeless Families Foundation. The foundation focuses on supporting veterans like Gordon, and Cheryl is committed to raising the funds the Hatthorns need to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey. The foundation has helped them buy new appliances, gut mold-infested walls, replace electrical wiring, and more. One year post-Harvey, hope is there — but not from the sources the Hatthorns expected.

Read the full article about lingering impact of Hurricane Harvey by Marlena Hartz at GlobalGiving.