Various NFL factions have combined to donate $8 million to support communities decimated by Hurricane Helene, the league announced Monday.
Donors include Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who gave $2 million to World Central Kitchen through his foundation for Georgians affected by the storm.
David Tepper and his wife Nicole, the billionaire owners of the Carolina Panthers, gave $3 million in hurricane relief to recovery efforts in both North and South Carolina.
Both the Houston Texans and the Glazer family, which owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United, have each pledged $1 million.
‘Our hearts go out to all of those impacted by Hurricane Helene, and the NFL is committed to doing our part to help the affected communities recover,’ NFL Vice President of Philanthropy and Executive Director of the NFL Foundation Alexia Gallagher said in a statement.
Donors include Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who gave $2 million through his foundation
Tepper (left) and the Glazer brothers gave a combined $4million in hurricane relief funds
Flood damage is strewn across a road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene
‘The NFL is privileged to play a vital role in communities across the country, and we are proud to work with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to provide critical resources and support to those in need.’
Emergency responders in North Carolina were racing on Monday to try to reach people who remain unaccounted for three days after Hurricane Helene ripped through the region, killing nearly 100 people, wiping out communications and leaving millions without power.
Cellular phone service remained out in large swaths from Ohio through the Carolinas and into Florida. Some 2.1 million homes and businesses were without power at daybreak on Monday, according to the website Poweroutage.us.
‘The lack of communication is concerning,’ North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said on Monday in an interview with CNN. ‘We know that there are people missing, and we know that there’s going to be significant fatalities at the end of this and our prayers and our hearts go out to these families.’
Cooper, who said he had not heard from his son and daughter in 72 hours, added that local officials and rescue workers were performing door-to-door welfare checks in many communities.
Paula Williams helps a friend clean out a flooded home in Steinhatchee, Florid
The National Guard is fully activated and emergency workers from 19 states are there to help, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel. Cooper said the rugged terrain in the mountains of western North Carolina makes it almost impossible to traverse with landslides and flooding.
‘So we’re depending a lot on air power, helicopters with hoist capacity to get supplies in,’ he said.
Helene slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday night, triggering days of driving rain and destroying homes that had stood for decades. As it moved north it washed out roads, decimated neighborhoods and left many communities without water and basic necessities.
At least 30 people were killed in Bumcombe County, North Carolina, which includes the city of Asheville, according to the county sheriff. In all, the death toll was near 100 in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, according to a Reuters review of state and local tallies, and was likely to rise.
Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend, as water systems, communications and critical transportation routes were damaged or destroyed.
Property damage and lost economic output will become clearer as officials assess the destruction.
