Apple Now Accepting Donations for Hurricane Harvey Relief

Apple is now accepting donations to help disaster relief efforts in southeastern Texas in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Harvey.

The company is encouraging users to donate to the American Red Cross by displaying banners on its U.S. website and iTunes storefront. Like with previous donation campaigns, users can opt to give $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200, which Apple will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the American Red Cross’ relief operations in Texas. The donations will be processed as normal iTunes transactions, but iTunes Store credit can’t be used and the contributions are not tax deductible, the company added.

Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall late Friday night. Over the weekend, the hurricane caused catastrophic flooding, leaving residents trapped in homes and overburdening local emergency services. Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm as of Monday morning, but rescue teams and first responders are still working to assist people in Houston and other areas in southeast Texas. The storm has killed two people and that death toll is likely to rise, according to CNN.

The Red Cross is currently on the ground in Texas, providing safe shelter, comfort and relief services to those impacted by the storm. Relief efforts include food, comfort kits, medical equipment and other supplies. Currently, the organization has supplies to provide services to 28,000 people, with supplies for an additional 22,000 on the way, according to their website. In the wake of the hurricane, over 30,000 people are expected to be housed in shelters, The Guardian reported on Monday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a tweet early Monday morning, urging users to join in the relief effort.

Prayers for Texas and all those affected by #HurricaneHarvey. Join us in the relief effort by donating: https://t.co/QLBMFOjaDG

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 27, 2017

Apple typically hosts donation campaigns for relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters and other events. The company has collected funds for the Red Cross after the 2016 floods in Louisiana, Hurricane Matthew, the wildfire in British Columbia, and numerous others. More recently, the company accepted donations to anti-hate advocacy groups after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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