The Glazer family is donating $1 million to Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Florida, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced.
A record-breaking storm tore through Florida this week, bringing dangerous winds of 140 miles per hour and massive flooding that destroyed buildings and caused nearly a dozen deaths.
In the wake of the fatal hurricane, the Buccaneers’ Glazer owners pledged a seven-figure sum to help the state get back on its feet.
“The Glazer family has committed $1 million to support local nonprofits providing relief to those most impacted by Hurricane Helene,” read a statement from Tampa Bay.
“The donation will be used to support local organizations involved in relief efforts throughout Tampa Bay.”
The Glazer family is making a $1 million donation to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Florida
The Glazers, who also own Premier League football club Manchester United, have run the Buccaneers since Malcolm Glazer paid a then-record $192 million to take over the franchise in 1995.
Under their ownership, Tampa Bay won two Super Bowl titles in the 2002 and 2020 seasons.
“The flooding caused by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge has been devastating to many across the state and specifically in our Tampa Bay community,” said Bucs owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz.
“There are many areas in our community that need time and additional resources to begin recovery. We offer our full support to those affected and are deeply grateful for the heroic and courageous efforts of the many first responders and utility workers who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our community during this difficult time.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Saturday that there have been at least 11 storm-related deaths in Florida.
The deaths include traffic fatalities and people affected by storm surge, the governor said at a news conference.
A record-breaking storm ripped through Florida this week, killing a dozen people in the state
The Glazers, owners of NFL franchise the Buccaneers, have donated a nine-figure sum to help Florida get back on its feet
“There were no fatalities in Taylor County, where the storm made landfall,” DeSantis said, adding that he credits the people of hard-hit Taylor County for heeding the warnings.
“If you had told me there would be a storm surge of fifteen to twenty-five feet, even with the best efforts, I would have assumed there would have been multiple fatalities.”
The remnants of Hurricane Helene dissipated Saturday, but millions are still without power in the Southeast and officials warned that record-breaking river flooding is underway in parts of southern Appalachia.
The storm is responsible for at least 52 deaths in five states, including 23 people in South Carolina and 11 in Florida. Officials fear the death toll could rise as authorities continue to take stock of Helene’s devastation.
The hurricane roared ashore Thursday night as a Category 4 storm on Florida’s Gulf Coast and then moved rapidly through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee on Friday, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams came to be.
Tropical Storm John made its second landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, while in its wake authorities in the resort town of Acapulco called for the help of anyone with a boat to deal with the flooding. It has since disappeared over Mexico.