Taylor Swift leads celebrity hurricane relief donations

US

Taylor Swift has donated $5m (£3.8m) to help those affected by Hurricane Milton, as the deadly storm smashed into the Florida coast on Wednesday.

The pop megastar, the world’s richest female musician, with a reported $1.6bn (£1.2bn) fortune, gave the money to the non-profit Feeding America, as celebrities acted to help people cope with the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Feeding America chief executive Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement on the group’s X account: “Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and helping communities in need.”

Hurricane Milton latest: Follow live updates

Milton threatens widespread destruction across the state, part of a region devastated by Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.

Swift, 34, is due to play in Miami next week as she kicks off the final run of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Image:
Taylor Swift is reportedly worth £1.2bn. Pic: AP

She is known for supporting fundraisers, donating to 1,400 Trussell food banks in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London – the cities where she performed this summer.

The singer recently gave $100,000 (£79,400) to a fundraiser for the family of a woman who died in the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebrations.

Swift was at the NFL match to support her Kansas City Chiefs star boyfriend Travis Kelce.

On Wednesday, country musicians including Keith Urban, Luke Combs and Eric Church announced they will stage a Concert for Carolina benefit gig later this month, in Charlotte, North Carolina, for people affected by the two storms.

Another country artist, Morgan Wallen, helped collect supplies and posed for photos with fans at a food drive in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.

He had earlier donated $500,000 (£382,000) to the American Red Cross for the hurricane relief effort.

Country superstar Dolly Parton donated $1m (£764,000) of her personal funds to a Tennessee non-profit, the Mountain Ways Foundation, providing immediate help to Hurricane Helene flood victims.

Her businesses, including the Dollywood theme park, matched the amount.

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, bringing ferocious winds of more than 100mph (160kph) and producing a series of tornadoes around the state.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Hurricane Milton rips away stadium roof


Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

The National Hurricane Center, based in Miami, measured maximum sustained winds of 120mph (205kph) as it roared ashore at around 8.30pm, local time, near Siesta Key.

Read more:
Hurricane Milton arrives in Florida
Popular TikTok user ignores evacuation order
Meteorologist reduced to tears describing hurricane

More than two million households were without power, the PowerOutages website said, as forecasters warned of a potentially deadly storm surge to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, along with heavy rains.

Two people died in St Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic coast, where officials said tornadoes touched down.

Articles You May Like

Football hooligans target Israeli supporters as disorder unfolds in Amsterdam
Private prison stocks jump on Trump appointment of immigration hard-liner Tom Homan
People living in US border town offer insight into why Kamala Harris ‘lost big’
Block reports revenue miss but a slight beat on earnings
‘You can’t love your country only when you win’: Biden tells Americans to come together