According to the ACE index, September of this year was the most active month for Atlantic hurricanes on record, with Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria and Category 4 Hurricane Jose falling during the month—Hurricane Harvey was not included in the statistic, as it began at the very tail-end of August. Many communities are still recovering from these devastating storms and will be for the coming months and years as they return to their homes and begin to rebuild. Though the destruction has been tragic, it has also served as a way for people across the country to come together to support those affected by the tragedy. In keeping with this theme of standing together in the face of catastrophe, yesterday, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced that all five living former U.S. presidents will appear at a hurricane relief concert on October 21st at the Reed Arena at Texas A&M University.
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Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter have all signed on to participate in the benefit concert dubbed Deep From The Heart: The One America Appeal. Eschewing notions of conventional bipartisanship, the five ex-presidents, alternatingly representing the Democratic and Republican parties, came together following the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, with the ex-POTUSes releasing a video in early September calling on Americans to help out. Deep From The Heart: The One America Appeal is the next step in this collaboration of former leaders of the US, though the benefit will expand its efforts to also support those affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
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In addition to appearances by Obama, W. Bush, Clinton, H.W. Bush, and Carter, the benefit concert will also feature musicians (primarily those of the country genre) like ALABAMA, the Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Sam Moore, Yolanda Adams, Cassadee Pope, and Stephanie Quayle, with country star Lee Greenwood emceeing the event. All of the money raised by ticket sales will be donated to storm victims through a number of charities, including Houston Harvey Relief Fund, Rebuild Texas Fund, the Florida Disaster Fund, Juntos y Unidos Por Puerto Rico, and The Fund for the Virgin Islands.
As former President George H.W. Bush said in a statement, “The 43rd President and I, and our distinguished colleagues in this ‘One America Appeal,’ are very grateful to these wonderful performers—some of them old friends, some of them new—for giving their time and talent to help the urgent cause of hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean. It’s important that those affected by these devastating storms know that, even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we’re with them for the long haul.”
[H/T CNN]