Hurricane Helen: Dolly Parton donates $1 million to recovery efforts

Music icon Dolly Parton has announced she will make a personal donation of $1m (£762,000) to disaster recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helen.

Speaking at an event in his home state of Tennessee on Friday, the 78-year-old said the money would come “from my own bank account”.

Parton's local businesses — including the Dollywood amusement park — will also donate the same amount to the Mountain Ways Foundation, which is helping flood victims in the region.

During her remarks, Parton broke into song to sing “Helen, Helen” to the tune of her 1973 hit Jolene.

By late September, at least 225 people had died from Helen in the southeastern United States.

helen Deadliest mainland storm Since Katrina in 2005.

Helen damaged buildings, caused flash flooding and knocked out power to millions of homes when it made landfall as a Category Four hurricane. More than half a million properties remained without power as of Saturday.

The US government says the cleanup effort could take years.

A large portion of the deaths occurred in North Carolina, while others were recorded in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

“This is my home,” Parton said at a Friday press conference outside a Walmart store in Newport, Tennessee.

“God has been good to me and the public has been good, and I think if there's anything I can do to give back in any way, I'm always willing to do that. I want to feel like I'm doing my part.”

Explaining that many of his relatives lived in the area, the singer said: “I was just as heartbroken as everyone else and surprised and devastated by it.”

He added: “All these people feel like my people.”

Eleven people have been confirmed dead in Tennessee so far due to the storm Latest Government AccountsWith more still to be reckoned with.

At least two Factory workers were swept away by flood waters in Erwin, in the northeast of the state.

When Parton was asked what her message was to victims, she replied: “I know it's easy for us to say, 'Oh, things are going to get worse'.”

“All we can say is we're with you, we love you, we hope things get better very soon – and we're going to do our part to try to make that possible.”

Coinciding with the press conference, Walmart announced it was increasing funding for its recovery efforts by $10 million (£7.6m).

John Ferner, CEO of the supermarket chain, said: “These are not just places where we have stores. These are communities where we work and live.”

He also described Parton as “a true American legend — and not just for music, art, business, but because of her heart.”

The country music singer-songwriter has previously made large donations in response to life-changing events.

In 2016, his charity Pledged to donate $1,000 per month To the families affected by the Tennessee wildfires.

And in 2020, he is Contributed $1m to the development of one of the Covid-19 vaccines.