US celebs pledge donations for Harvey relief efforts

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As the people of Southeast Texas continue to feel the wrath of Harvey, now a tropical storm, celebrities are generously pledging tens of thousands to aid in relief efforts.

"Ride Along" star Kevin Hart set the celebrity ball rolling on Monday with a 50,000 US dollar donation and social media challenge that called on stars to match him. Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Lopez and DJ Khaled have pledged 25,000 US dollars each.

Houston Texans NFL player J.J. Watt launched his own online effort on Sunday with a 100,000 US dollar donation and a video plea. The fund quickly reached one million US dollars, and Watt tweeted on Tuesday his goal was now four million US dollars.

Houston’s most famous export, Beyoncé, who has recently moved from New York to Los Angeles, has said she is working on a plan to help her hometown recover. “Texas You Are In My Prayers,” the singer posted on her Instagram page.

Reuters photo

In a statement to the Houston Chronicle on Monday, Beyoncé added that she was working closely with her team and her Houston pastor “to implement a plan to help as many as we can.”

The Kardashians and Jenners are also Keeping Up with Hart's challenge. Khloé Kardashian shared Tuesday on Twitter that she, her sisters, and her mom, Kris Jenner, would contribute 500,000 US dollars to the Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

British band Coldplay, who canceled a planned show in Houston on Friday because of the impending hurricane, wrote a new song for the city called “Houston #1,” which they performed at a concert in Miami on Monday.

Tropical Storm Harvey, which hit land as a hurricane over the weekend, has brought catastrophic flooding to Texas, killing at least 11 people and paralyzing Houston. City officials on Tuesday made preparations to shelter up to 19,000 people, with thousands more expected to flee the area.

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Source(s): Reuters