Former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama plan to attend a hurricane relief concert at Texas A&M University later this month, following a devastating string of storms that has affected millions across Texas, Florida and the Caribbean.
The event, called “Deep from the Heart: The One America Appeal Concert,” will be hosted by the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and feature performances from musicians including Alabama, The Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett and Cassadee Pope. All funds raised from ticket sales will go to help storm victims.
“This catastrophic hurricane season has already caused hundreds of billions of dollars in property damage, displaced millions and destroyed entire communities,” a press release announcing the event said. “As a result, our fellow Americans are facing overwhelming challenges. The staggering, urgent need is simply beyond the capacity of government alone to address.”
In a statement, George H.W. Bush said the concert would emphasize that those affected by hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma would be taken care of “for the long haul,” saying such effort would continue “even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever.”
“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,” the elder Bush said in a statement.
All five former presidents released a video last month launching the One America Appeal campaign after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas, and the initiative has since expanded to include victims of the other two storms.
President Donald Trump is unaffiliated with the campaign, but has traveled to Texas, Florida and most recently Puerto Rico after the storms passed. Trump came under fire on Tuesday for throwing paper towels at survivors of Hurricane Maria and saying the storm wasn’t a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina, even though 3 million residents were without power at the time.
The White House on Wednesday asked Congress for an additional $29 billion in aid to help Puerto Rico and other areas recover from the storms, including nearly $13 billion for FEMA.
Tickets for the relief concert are available online, and it will take place Oct. 21 at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena, which can hold nearly 13,000 people.