After floods throughout southern Louisiana killed at least 11 people, destroyed at least 40,000 homes, and displaced thousands of people over the weekend, Taylor Swift donated $1 million to aid those needing relief.
Costs for relief efforts will be at least $30 million, according to Red Cross Vice President for Disaster Services Operations and Logistics Brad Kieserman, who called the floods in Louisiana the worst U.S. natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy. Residents and volunteers are working to recover and rebuild as water levels begin to recede, and more than 60,000 people registered for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Swift still remembers the warm welcome the people of Louisiana gave her, and went into activist mode.
“We began The 1989 World Tour in Louisiana, and the wonderful fans there made us feel completely at home. The fact that so many people in Louisiana have been forced out of their own homes this week is heartbreaking,” Swift told the Associated Press in a statement.
“I encourage those who can to help out and send your love and prayers their way during this devastating time,” she said.
In the past Swift has donated to the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign of her backup dancer’s family, and pledged $250,000 to aid Kesha with her legal fees in recent years.
According to the Associated Press, Lady Gaga has also pledged to donate money to flood relief.
H/T Huffington Post