Hurricane Harvey Relief Telethon In The Works, Beyonce, George Clooney Confirmed
It’s news like this that will help restore your faith in humanity. A multi-network telethon to help victims of Hurricane Harvey is set to air live on September 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and CMT. A lot of A-list celebrities have already signed up for it, including George Clooney, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, and even Barbra Streisand.
The special, “Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief” aims at collecting donations to help victims of the hurricane go back to their normal lives after the destruction that Harvey left in its path in late August. Variety reports that the proceeds will be distributed among different charities in the area — including United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Feeding Texas and the Mayor’s Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief.
The category 4 hurricane, the first in its class to make landfall since 2004, has left damages in Houston and surrounding areas of over $25 billion of flood loss with only about $6.5 billion being covered by insurance companies — not to mention a death toll of at least 63 and the damages made by wind. This situation leaves thousands of people in need of financial help or they would face the challenging task of getting back on their feet after losing virtually everything.
This woman's home of 38 years was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. She now faces the long task of rebuilding it. pic.twitter.com/ntKPQJQXFX
— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 5, 2017
On top of the telethon — which will also feature Adam Sandler, Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Seacrest, Karlie Kloss, Rob Lowe, and Blake Shelton — Disney hosted a “Day of Giving”, raising over $15 million for the Red Cross, who continues to help Hurricane Harvey victims in every way possible.
According to the Red Cross records, over 33,000 people sought refuge in their shelters. They’ve served over 690,000 meals and snacks, and have provided over 30,000 basic hygiene products.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Harvey is not the only weather-related catastrophe in the United States’ near future. Irma, a category 5 hurricane, is fast-approaching Florida, prompting Gov. Rick Scott to declare a statewide state of emergency on Monday as the storm is expected to hit all counties this weekend. Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rossello, has also declared a state of emergency for the island.
Hurricane Irma now ranks among the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. What you need to know: https://t.co/0X0PXEvGUj pic.twitter.com/yM1B1Xyajm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 5, 2017
According to the National Hurricane Center, if Hurricane Irma makes landfall as a category 5, “a high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse.”
“Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
[Featured Image by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images]
