ABC11 and the Walt Disney Company raise more than $1 million to help communities affected by Hurricane Florence

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RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) —

From the coast to the Piedmont, Hurricane Florence landed a historic and devastating blow to North Carolina. The rescue and recovery efforts started immediately, but it’s a long road ahead for many families across the Carolinas and more.

ABC11 Together with the American Red Cross, ABC11’s corporate parent The Walt Disney Company, and the ABC Owned Television Group have raised more than $1 million in donations this week to help.

The ABC11 Together Hurricane Florence Relief Drive will deliver urgently needed funds to relief organizations on the ground now.

On Tuesday, ABC11 Together teamed up with the American Red Cross to host a 13-hour Hurricane Florence Relief Drive to begin a week of giving.

The on-air phone bank and online donation drive included support from the ABC Owned Television Group with eight stations from New York to Los Angeles rallying their viewers to give.

This ongoing initiative has collected $538,886 to date.

On Thursday, The Walt Disney Company announced that it would be donating another $500,000 to the Red Cross Hurricane Florence relief drive.

The company also pledged to match donations made by Disney employees. This brings the total funds raised to $1,038,886 and counting.

That money will go a long way to help provide overnight shelter stays, emergency supplies, medical assistance, meals, and other life-saving services to the people of North Carolina.

“We are just so grateful to our viewers, viewers across our ABC stations, and to the Walt Disney company for their incredible generosity, ” said WTVD President and General Manager Caroline Welch. “This is a great example of how people come together when there is a need. Our ABC11 Together motto is ‘together, we can do more,’ and this week, we’ve seen how powerful that idea really is.”

ABC11 Eyewitness News continues to drive viewers to abc11.com/together to donate, as well as to find other ways neighbors can help neighbors.

The station is also partnering with local radio stations from iHeart Media, Radio One Raleigh, and Beasley Media in Fayetteville. This drive is just the start. There is a lot of work to be done in helping families affected by Hurricane Florence.

ABC11 and its amazing partners will continue to bring awareness and support for the needs in our community.

ABC11 (WTVD) is an owned and independently operated subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Click here to learn more about how ABC11 serves people in our community.

The ABC owned station group includes WABC (New York), KABC (Los Angeles), WLS (Chicago), WPVI (Philadelphia), KGO (San Francisco), KTRK (Houston), WTVD (Raleigh-Durham), and KFSN (Fresno, CA).

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