Big Names Help Harvey Victims by Getting Big Money to Relief Effort
As shelters are filling up with victims of the storm, many groups and individuals have announced and/or challenged others to show their support, financial and otherwise, to the city of Houston through social media
•
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt announced on Twitter that he was starting a fundraiser to help the recovery effort in Houston after Hurricane Harvey caused massive damage. Watt himself donated $100,000 to the cause.
As victims of Hurricane Harvey fill Texas shelters, celebrities are pledging to make sizeable donations — and using their social media reach to challenge others to do the same — to bring relief to storm-torn areas in and around Houston.
Sports franchises and tech giants have also pledged to give money to relief organizations like the American Red Cross.
Here are some of the major contributions stars, CEOs and franchises have made:
J.J. Watt, a defensive end for the Houston Texans football team, has raised about $6 million in crowdfunding since Sunday. Using Twitter, he has repeatedly upped the goal as it has been met. His goal is now $10 million.
The Houston Astros-Texas Rangers baseball series was relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, but that did not stop the flow of donations and support for Houston.
The Rays announced that all ticket, parking and concession revenue from the three-game series would be donated to victims of Harvey.
Major League Baseball's communications office tweeted they would also donate $1 million "to various relief efforts for the damage throughout TX."
All ticket, concessions and parking revenues from this three-game series are being donated to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
Comcast NBCUniversal (which owns this station) committed $1 million to relief efforts in the Houston area, including $500,000 to be shared between the city's Harvey Relief Fund and the American Red Cross. Its cable systems will also donate advertising time for Harvey-related public service announcements.
Facebook and Google announced they would match funds up to $1 million in donations for Harvey victims.
Sports
News, videos, and rumors on the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Bruins, powered by NBC Sports Boston.
Similarly, the New England Patriots have pledged to match donations made to American Red Cross, up to $1 million, to help the Houston area recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.
Actress Sandra Bullock also pledged $1 million to American Red Cross, E! News reported.
"I'm just grateful I can do it," Bullock, who owns a home in Austin, said in a statement obtained by E! News. "We have to take care of one another."
Scott Olson/Getty Images
People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was flooded with remnants of Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A child is helped off the back of a rescue truck after his family evacuated their home after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
AP
Interstate 10 is closed due to floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
People wait to be bussed to a shelter after being evacuated from their homes by flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
People wait for a ride to a shelter after being rescued from a flooded neighborhood when it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
David J. Phillip/AP
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Evacuees are helped to dry land after their homes were inundated with floods from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
Texas Army National Guard members Sergio Esquivel, left, and Ernest Barmore, right, carry 81-year-old Ramona Bennett, center, after she was rescued from her Pine Forest Village neighborhood due to high water from Harvey on Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
AP
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with remnants of Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
Charlie Riedel/AP
People push a stalled pickup through a flooded street in Houston, after Tropical Storm Harvey dumped heavy rain on parts of the city Aug. 27, 2017. The remnants of Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27: Volunteers and officers from the neiborhood security patrol help to rescue residents in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
AP
Airplanes sit at a flooded airport near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
Getty Images
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Getty Images
People use an air mattress to float down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Getty Images
Ashley Ward kayaks down a flooded street that has been inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
Courtesy @BKRoberson II
A preacher checks submerged cars for people inside on Sunday, August 27, 2017, in Houston.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
U.S. Coast Guard
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Moses Juarez, left, and Anselmo Padilla wade through floodwaters from Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Residents are rescued from their homes surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
A man waves for help as he is surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
A boat is partially submerged in the wake of Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business destroyed by Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Katy, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the "most terrifying event in his life" when Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Wind from Harvey batters a Texas flag on Aug. 26, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A destroyed laundrymat is seen after Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Aaron Tobias who said he lost everything stands in what is left of his home after Harvey blew in and destroyed most of the house on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Boats are seen tossed around after Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
An airplane is seen in a damaged hanger at the Aransas County Airport after Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Jessica Campbell, left, hugs Jonathan Fitzgerald after riding out Harvey in an apartment on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving the apartment that she road out Harvey in on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
AP
A driver moves through flood waters Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
The roof of a gas station sits in flood waters in the wake of Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas.
NASA/NOAA GOES Project via Getty Images
In this NOAA handout image, NOAA's GOES East satellite capture of Hurricane Harvey shows the storm making landfall shortly after 10:00 p.m. CDT on August 25, 2017, on the mid-Texas coast.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Rain is blown past palm trees as Hurricane Harvey makes landfall, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
AFP/Getty Images
Strong winds batter seaside houses before the approaching Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas on Aug. 25, 2017.
AP
Residents fill sand bags Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
AP
A sign reading "Be Nice Harvey" was left behind on a boarded up business, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Port Aransas, Texas.
Getty Images
A sign on a business on Aug. 25, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Kardashian family announced they would donate $500,000 — $250,000 to American Red Cross and $250,000 to the Salvation Army.
Kim Kardashian West announced the donation on Twitter on Tuesday, saying, "Houston we are praying for you." She used the hashtag #HoustonStrong.
Comedian Kevin Hart posted a video to Instagram, urging people to donate, and announcing his own donation of $25,000 on Monday. But that $25,000 has turned into more than $800,000 because of his crowdfunding page he set up in partnership with American Red Cross.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has donated $1 million to the newly established United Way Harvey Recovery Fund, which will go toward relief and recovery efforts for several years.
The $1 million from DiCaprio's foundation represents the inaugural donation to the fund and is the latest disaster relief support from the Oscar-winner's namesake foundation.
After making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Friday, the storm brought days of rain and intense flooding to the Houston area. On Tuesday, Harvey officially set a new U.S. record for rainfall from a tropical system as it continued to drench southern Texas. The tropical storm made landfall again on Wednesday, this time along Louisiana's coast.
U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard out of Texas rescues victims of Harvey floods by helicopter on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2017. The Coast Guard says they have rescued more than 3,600 people by air and by boat.
U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard out of Texas rescues victims of Harvey floods by helicopter on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2017. The Coast Guard says they have rescued more than 3,600 people by air and by boat.
Getty Images
People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
Getty Images
Volunteers get a briefing at the George Brown Convention Center that has been turned into a shelter run by the American Red Cross to house victims of the high water from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Women rescued from a flooded retirement home sit in a boat after Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.
Getty Images
Volunteers unload donated items at the George Brown Convention Center which has been turned into a shelter run by the American Red Cross to house victims of the high water from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Sgt. Chad Watts, of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, holds Madelyn Nguyen, 2, after he rescued her and her family by boat from floodwaters of Tropical Storm Harvey, which hit Texas last week as a Category 4 hurricane, in Houston, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.
AP
Members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Houston Fire Department rescue residents stranded from floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey, which hit Texas last week as a Category 4 hurricane, in Houston, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.
Getty Images
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
Getty Images
Shardea Harrison looks on at her 3-week-old baby Sarai Harrison being held by Dean Mize as he and Jason Legnon used his airboat to rescue them from their home after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
AFP/Getty Images
A sheriff's boat rescues people after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on Aug. 28, 2017.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Rescuers help a woman from a flooded retirement home into a boat after Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.
