ROCKPORT, Mass. (WHDH) — Rockport, Massachusetts and Rockport, Texas may be more than 1,000 miles apart, but they are very similar towns. They are both fishing communities and they both attract tourists from all over. As Harvey continues to batter Texas, it’s the small Bay State community that’s stepping up to help their “neighbors” to the south.
As images of flood ravaged Texas continue to cross television screens and circulate on the Internet, more and more Americans feel the need to help, but not everyone knows how.
Watching from his home in Rockport, Mass., J.D. Herlihy figured out exactly how to assist.
“I saw that it was going to make landfall in Rockport, Texas. The two towns with the same namesake. It just struck a chord with me,” Herlihy said.
Herlihy started a “Rockport 2 Rockport” gofundme page, hoping to raise $5,000 to help the town with the same name recover from devastating floodwaters. The giving took off. Herlihy raised the goal three times.
“At this point I don’t know where it’s going to end,” Herlihy said. “We’ll just keep on going.”
Residents say they are opening their wallets because they identify with their sister city.
“It’s another fisherman’s town,” John Jamison said. “The people there are desperately in need. I think it’s a terrific idea.”
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