Hurricane Harvey made landfall August 25, 2017 and impacted over 200,000 people throughout the city of Houston. The storm pushed families out of their homes in rescue boats and forced them to relocate to shelters. Following Harvey, Houston face a long recovery situation. While the storm surged over the city, the Houston Texans faced off against the Saints in the city of New Orleans, in their third preseason game.

Meanwhile, Texans defensive-end JJ Watt wanted to help his city in any way that he could. Since he could not physically return home because of flight cancellations, he started an online fundraiser to help the victims involved. He announced it publicly by posting a video on social media, asking for anyone to donate.

Initially, Watt set a goal of $200,000, which would match his $100,000 donation. Within the first two hours of hosting the fundraiser, Watt surpassed his goal and raised it to $500,000. He reached  that mark the same day. Recently, just before the Texans took on the Jacksonville Jaguars in their home opener, Watt reached the $30M mark.

Once Watt arrived back in Houston, he posted another video of a facility full of supplies to give back to flood victims. He promised all donations would go directly to the people after rumors that the red cross program kept a portion of donations as profit.

When Watt took the field Sunday, September 10th at NRG Stadium, the audience applauded him with a standing ovation as he ran out of the tunnel waving a Texas flag in honor of the victims of Hurricane Harvey.