BUCCANEERS, PANTHERS PLEDGE CONTRIBUTIONS TO HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers have pledged a total of $4 million in donations to offer relief for all those affected by Hurricane Helene in Tampa Bay and in the Carolinas.
The Buccaneers announced on Saturday that the team’s owners, the Glazer family, were donating $1 million to Hurricane Helene relief efforts. A statement released by the team read: “The Glazer family has pledged $1 million to support local nonprofit organizations aiding those most impacted by Hurricane Helene. The donation will be allocated to support local agencies involved in relief efforts across Tampa Bay.”
Buccaneers owner/chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation Darcie Glazer Kassewitz said: “The flooding caused by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge has been devastating to many throughout the state and specifically in our Tampa Bay community. There are many areas throughout our community that will require time and additional resources in order to begin the recovery.”
“We offer our full support to those who have been impacted and are extremely thankful for the heroic and brave efforts of the many first responders and utility workers who have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community during this difficult time.”
A category 4 hurricane, Helene made landfall overnight on Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region with winds of up to 140 mph and remained a hurricane for six hours before weakening into a tropical storm. The Hurricane moved quickly through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee in large parts of Friday, uprooting trees, blowing roofs off homes, sweeping away cars, testing dams and flooding rivers.
Authorities estimate that at least 64 people have passed away from the effects of the Hurricane and up to $110 million worth of property has been damaged, making it one of the most devastating and costly storms in modern US history. It’s also been estimated that almost 3.5 million people remained without power on Saturday after strong winds and torrential rain handicapped roads, highways, multiple cell towers, and power lines in the south east.
Carolina’s owners, David and Nicole Tepper, also made an initial $3 million commitment to Hurricane Helene relief efforts via their foundation, the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation, in partnership with both NFL and MLS franchises, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.
A statement released by the Teppers through the Panthers’ website read: “The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation, Carolina Panthers, and Charlotte FC stand alongside all those who have been affected by Hurricane Helene and the devastation it has wrought across the southeast, and particularly in our backyard throughout the Carolinas.”
“This is our home and we are committed to supporting relief efforts throughout the region by providing critical resources and aiding the efforts of our heroic first responders. The impact on our community has been severe, but Carolinians are resilient and courageous, and together we will rebuild and recover.”
Funds donated by the foundation will be used in support of both immediate and long-term humanitarian aid and recovery efforts in North and South Carolina in the wake of devastation left by the category four hurricane. Carolina currently remains in a State of Emergency as residents in the south east grapple with the aftermath of the event.
“I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now,” one woman, a resident of Steinhatchee, Florida, told The Guardian on Saturday.
Per the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Helene is currently moving across the Tennessee Valley and while there’s still threat of further damages, the risk of additional heavy rainfall is waning as the storm morphs into a post-tropical cyclone. Other places that have experienced the effects of Hurricane Helene include Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Bernard Gagnon. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.