As a Houston native, Beyoncé was personally touched by Hurricane Harvey. But her view of the devastating storm—as well as Hurricane Irma and other natural disasters—is also political. With many scientists blaming rising temperatures for the recent surge of storms, Bey wants us to be prepared for the future disasters climate change is likely to bring.
“The effects of climate change are playing out around the world every day,” she said in a video for the Hand in Hand hurricane relief telethon, where people dialed in to donate to help Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma’s victims. “Just this past week, we’ve seen devastation from the monsoon in India, an 8.1 earthquake in Mexico and multiple catastrophic hurricanes. Irma, alone, has left a trail of death and destruction from the Caribbean to Florida to the Southern United States. We have to be prepared for what comes next. So tonight we come together in a collective effort to raise our voices, to help our communities, to lift our spirits and heal.”
Bey also said she sees a silver lining in all the recent storm clouds: that people of all different backgrounds have been helping one another.
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate,” she said. “They don’t see if you’re an immigrant, black or white, Hispanic or Asian, Jewish or Muslim, wealthy or poor. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Third Ward or River Oaks, we’re all in this together. Seeing everyone of different racial, social and religious backgrounds put their own lives at risk to help each other survive, restored my faith in humanity.”
For her part, Beyoncé’s collecting money for Bread of Life, Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Texas Southern University to help Harvey survivors through her organization BeyGOOD. You can also still donate through Hand in Hand over the phone, text, or online here.
Watch Beyoncé’s full video message here:
