It has been one week since J.J. Watt started up a fundraiser to aid the Hurricane Harvey relief effort in Texas, and contributions from people of all income brackets have helped far to exceed the $200,000 goal he originally set. Heading into the weekend the Houston Texans superstar had raised an astounding $17 million.
Watt announced the total while sharing a video of his team of volunteers unloading nine trailers of boxes filled with supplies. The flood-ravaged area will need all of the contributions it can get, as some calculations have the damage caused by Harvey costing nearly $200 billion. President Trump has already requested that Congress approve a down payment of $7.85 billion to go to the Lone Star State, but tax payer money may not be enough.
Arnold Schwartzenegger, Ellen DeGeneres and Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk are among the many who've helped Watt's campaign build the success it already has. By Saturday, September 2, news had begun to circulate that Watt's efforts were so appreciated by the people of Houston that a petition has been started to rename highway SH-99 after him. 99 is the number on the back of Watt's NFL jersey.
