As the city of Houston grapples with the continued effects of Hurricane Harvey on Monday, the Houston Texans announced that the team is making a $1 million donation to United Way of Greater Houston Flood Relief Fund.
Soon after the team announced the decision, the NFL Foundation and Dallas Cowboys followed suit, each pledging to donate an additional $1 million to the relief fund.
The Texans announced the donation while preparing for the upcoming season at the Cowboys’ practice facility, where the team is practicing in anticipation of the upcoming season. But on Monday, the team’s focus was clearly back home.
“We’re just trying to do whatever we can from afar, ’cause we cant be there. We can’t be there physically,” said defensive end J.J. Watt, who launched his own fundraising effort on Sunday. “So we’re going to try and help raise that money.”
Quarterback Tom Savage offered similar sentiments. “It’s like a punch in the gut. You want to be back there for your family and for your city,” he told reporters.
The hurricane has left 300,000 without power since making landfall last Friday, leading first responders to rescue more than 2,000 people already. When all is said and done, the hurricane could pour 50 inches of rain over certain affected areas of the region.
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As Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long put it, “Texas has never seen an event like this.”