Houston Telethon Benefit Concert Organized in light of Hurricane Harvey by Bun B.
Hurricane Harvey’s devastating winds and widespread flooding has driven over one million Texas natives to evacuate their homes... as well as cause vast destruction that will likely make it one of the “costliest” storms in U.S. history.
Here is a look at the storm's historic devastation, by the numbers according to ABC News:
20 trillion gallons: That's the total amount of rain that fell on the Houston area after Harvey came ashore, a staggering deluge that represents enough water to supply New York City's needs for over five decades.
$125 billion: Texas Gov., Greg AbbotAbbott said his state will need federal relief money "far in excess" of that total. Moody’s Analytics has estimated $97 billion in destruction alone and some $108 billion in total damages counting lost output.
80 percent: Texans who don't have flood insurance.
With everything happening in his hometown, Houston rapper and legend, Bun B is partnering with music manager, Scooter Braun to do something to help those in need. Braun was the brains behind Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester Concert.
“We’re going to have to get to different places,” said Bun B in an interview with Mass Appeal. “My church on the Southwest side of Houston is what I’m going to be using as a collection and distribution point, but there are probably 40 different shelters I’ve seen in Houston and surrounding areas. These are high schools and churches. They can’t keep these people there forever. We’ve got to figure out where and how to find tens of thousands of people somewhere to live. That takes years. That’s when we’ll have to see our government step up.”
The September 12th telethon will parade in 3 cities; LA, New York, and Nashville and will air on CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX from 8:00pm- 9:00pm.
In addition to their big hearted donations, Jamie Foxx and Hilary Duff, both born in Houston, will host the LA portion; while Reese Witherspoon and Blake Shelton will host from Nashville; and Michael Strahan and Kelly Rowland, also born and raised in Houston will host the New York portion.
Singer and songwriter, Solange has also made contributions to help the city that birthed and raised her. She announced last Thursday that all proceeds from her September 28th “Orions Rise” show in Boston will go to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey relief.
“I'm committed to partnering with organizations on the ground in Houston and making contributions to uplift the city that raised me with so much love,” Solange wrote via Instagram.
Sister, Beyoncé has also made efforts to reach out to victims in her hometown announcing that her BeyGOOD team has joined forces with Bread of Life and Greater Houston Community Foundation to raise money and support for displaced Houston residents referring to it as BeyGood Houston.
Other big names involved with the benefit concert include Oprah Winfrey, Adam Sandler, Ryan Seacrest, Julia Roberts, and George Clowney.
In order to keep the focus on the matter at hand, the network's plan to spend more time of the need to help and make contributions by limiting the number of performances. This is an hour-long showing, so every minute counts.
