Qatar give away $30m to help Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas

Qatar will make a $30m donation to help the people of Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey, which wreaked havoc on the state, it was reported. 

Qatar’s Ambassador to the US HE Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani announced the donation on the sidelines of Kuwaiti Emir HH Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah’s visit to US President Donald Trump.

Qatar pledged the funds through the newly created Qatar Harvey Fund, which Qatar’s Ambassador said would work with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, local organizations and other Texas officials including the Houston mayor, reported the Washington Post. The funds will be used ‘to help rebuild communities’ affected by flooding.

The contribution appears to be the largest from a foreign government to assist with the hurricane that devastated stretches of the Texas coast.

“Texans are stronger than any storm and will come back bigger and better, and Qatar stands ready to help our friends at every turn,” Al Thani said in a statement that emphasised the gas-rich country’s ties to Texas, including its consulate in Houston.

“Texas and Qatar have a longstanding partnership, and I thank the government of Qatar for their generosity and support for Texas and our citizens as we begin the long road to recovery,” Abbott said.

Harvey killed at least 70 people in a storm system that escalated to a Category 4 hurricane before striking Texas last month, dropping 52 inches of rain over the Houston area. Abbott has said recovery could cost as much as $180m.

Qatar opened a consulate in Texas in 1997 and also has ties to the state’s natural gas industry. The country says more than 450 Qataris live there. Doha, the Qatari capital, hosts a satellite campus of Texas A&M University.

Picture courtesy: ABC News