Harvey and Irma Play Dirty

On August 25, Category 3 Hurricane Harvey with winds as high as 130 miles per hour made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast, mainly in the Houston area. It made a second landfall as a tropical storm on the Texas border near Cameron, Louisiana the following week. Texas accumulated 51.88 inches of rainfall, breaking the record for most rainfall from a single storm in the entire continental United States. Houston got 44 inches, which put much of the city underwater. It resulted in 83 confirmed fatalities and more than $70 billion worth of damage, third on the list of costliest Atlantic Hurricanes.

Then, on September 6, Category 5 Hurricane Irma reached its peak with 185 mile per hour winds, which struck the U.S. Virgin Islands and those surrounding it. It quickly made its way to Cuba, the Florida Keys and southern Florida, leaving catastrophic destruction. The hurricane has caused at least 84 deaths, including 45 in the Caribbean and 39 in the United States and greater than $62.67 billion in damage.

Besides the lands and their people, professional sports were impacted as well. The Houston Astros were scheduled to play a six game homestand at Houston’s Minute Maid Park against the rival Texas Rangers. Due to the weather, they had to play on a neutral field, Tropicana Field in Saint Petersburg, Florida, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Houston Texans were supposed to play the Dallas Cowboys at home in the final preseason game, but had to play at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys’ home field in Arlington, Texas. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were scheduled to play the Miami Dolphins, but the game is now postponed to November 19. The Dolphins left for California earlier than planned and remained there for their game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jacksonville Jaguars played the Houston Texans the first Sunday of the season and remained in Houston after the game for some time before returning. The New York Yankees were originally playing the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa. However, it was decided that they would play on a neutral field for their own safety, so they moved the series to Citi Field in Queens, New York, home of the Mets.

Many athletes donated money to help pay for supplies and begin to rebuild the cities. One example is Houston Texans’ defensive end, J.J. Watt. He a set a fundraising goal for his city that was not even in the million dollar range. By the time he finished, he raised a total of over $37 million from over 200,000 donors all for the hurricane victims.

Sources:

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/j-j-watts-final-fundraiser-total-for-hurricane-harvey-relief-tops-37-million/

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/31/harvey-moves-inland-leaves-trail-of-destruction-in-texas.html