Sandra Bullock, actress and America’s sweetheart, is doing her part to help victims of Hurricane Harvey by donating $1 million to the Red Cross relief effort.
“This is an incredible gift. We’re so thankful. It’s times like this when we do receive such an incredible amount of support. Especially during times of disaster, people see what’s happening in Texas and our hearts all go out to them,” Elizabeth Penniman, vice president of communications for the American Red Cross national headquarters, told People.
“Having someone like Sandra Bullock make this kind of commitment, it helps bring people together and open their hearts and be even more generous.”
The Miss Congeniality and Gravity star has a home in Texas and has been a long-time supporter of the Red Cross. Bullock said she is “grateful” she is able to pitch in and the divided country must come together to help the Victims of Harvey.
“There are no politics in eight feet of water,” she said. “There are human beings in eight feet of water.”
The slow-moving storm has forced 32,000 people to seek shelter since coming ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas, as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than half a century. On Wednesday, it pummeled a stretch of coast from Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Among the latest deaths reported were two people who drowned while driving through high water near Simonton, Texas, 40 miles (64 km) west of Houston, Major Chad Norvell of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter.
Houston’s KHOU-TV reported that an infant girl was swept away by floodwaters as her parents were driving from Houston toward Louisiana on Highway 150. Police in Harris County, home to Houston, said 17 people remained missing.
“The worst is not yet over for southeast Texas as far as the rain is concerned,” Governor Greg Abbott said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
