Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Chase Rice, Eric Church and others in the country music community have addressed the devastation of Hurricane Helene and pledged to help those impacted over the weekend.
Wallen, an East Tennessee-born country artist, shared a statement on his Instagram story on Sunday evening (September 29) to offer an update on his family and share plans to help moving forward. The singer-songwriter said: “My family in East Tennessee are safe but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states. All my prayers are geared towards those tonight. Those hills and hollers are very important to me in so many ways. It is going to take a monumental effort and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help.”
Hurricane Helene reportedly made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and was later considered a tropical storm. At least 90 people have died and thousands remain unaccounted for as of Monday morning (September 30), per reports.
Other artists have addressed the hurricane devastation and sought ways to help, including Tyler Hubbard paying tribute to the “heroes” helping others. Combs, who is from North Carolina, who said in a statement over the weekend that he’s “absolutely heartbroken for everyone impacted by Hurricane Helene. Especially my folks in Western North Carolina. Me and my team have been making some calls and I think we've got something really special lined up to help the Carolinas as much as we can. More details to come ASAP.”
Rice has since reached out to Combs. He said in a statement on Sunday evening that he “finally got to talk to one of my buddies from high school in western Carolina. Getting more details about how bad the hurricane damage is and just hearing his voice is earth shattering stuff. Buildings are completely gone, and close friends and their family members have been lost. It’s one of the more heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen in my home state. (I) talked to Luke Combs yesterday and he’s doing everything in his power to put together something to help ASAP, (and) I told him anything he needs from me, I’m in. Carolina, you won’t be alone through all of this,” he concluded, promising more details on the way.
Lady A shared a Red Cross link on the band’s Instagram story on Monday afternoon. The trio — made up of Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley — said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to the families and entire communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. It saddens us to see the damage this natural disaster has caused so many, including those in Dave and Charles’ hometown of Augusta, GA. Please join us in helping those affected.”
Church, who was born in Granite Falls, North Carolina, also shared a Red Cross link and said in part that he’s “devastated by the destruction in the mountains of western North Carolina. These are our family members, friends, and neighbors. The community we live in part of the year still has people stranded and desperate for extraction. The whole area is in dire need of help. …To the families and first responders, you are in our prayers and we are doing everything we can to get you the help you need now.”