Country music legend Dolly Parton is rooting for her neighbors in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen, announcing a huge donation to relief efforts.
The “Islands in the Stream” singer announced Friday that she has donated a whopping $1 million to help those affected by Helen. As people across the region struggle to recover from the storm, which killed more than 200 people.
Parton held a press conference at a Walmart in Newport, Tennessee. This Walmart is in the shadow of the neighborhood where I was born and raised.
Despite the difficult conditions, the residents of the Volunteer State were overjoyed to meet “Grandma Auntie” and the legendary singer did not disappoint the crowd. Her performer’s instincts took over as she performed stormy versions of classic hits to the delight of those in attendance.
“Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen/You came here and tore us apart/Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen/But we’re all here to mend these broken hearts. “I’m here,” Parton sang along with the 1973 song. Jolene.”
“I wish we were all together for a different reason,” Dolly continued, unsinging. A kind of devastation. And I look around and think that these are my mountains, these are my valleys, these are my rivers that flow like streams. They are my people,” he concluded, adding, “This is my home.”
Parton said it’s time for everyone to “step up” and is leading by example by donating $1 million from her own bank account. But she didn’t stop there.
The country mogul said she has organized an additional $1 million donation to the Mountain Ways Foundation through the Dollywood Foundation and several other organizations.
At the same press conference, Walmart CEO John Farner announced that Walmart, Sam’s Club, and the Walmart Foundation will increase their donations to $10 million from the previously announced $6 million.
A week after the storm, more than 100 people are still missing and feared dead. The death toll as of Friday was more than 200, making Helen the deadliest storm in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Experts say Helen and other storms over the past week have released more than 40 trillion gallons of water into the region.
“This is an astronomical amount of precipitation,” Ed Clark, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center, told PBS. And a large amount of water fell from the sky. ”
Victims of the storm continue to struggle to gain access to food, water, electricity and cell phone service.
Earlier today, Elon Musk expressed frustration with FEMA as his company SpaceX attempts to deliver relief supplies including Starlink, an iPad-sized local satellite connection. This public appeal comes after numerous reports that FEMA is falling short in responding to the storm.