Hurricane Irma’s destruction in the United States mainland is well-known, but it caused significant damage to other parts of the area as well — including the U.S. Virgin Islands.
San Antonio Spurs legendary big man Tim Duncan took a stand against the storm and pledged his commitment towards helping those in need last week. Duncan was born in Christiansted, and has since raised over $3 million to assist residents after the storm — including his own personal $1 million donation.
In Day 1 of visiting the islands, Duncan helped distribute 20,000 pounds of food:
Day 1- 20,000 lbs of food distributed today, And another plane just unloaded. Ready for tomorrow! ?#usvirginislands #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/Kzg5m0YdJ4
— Duncan USVI Relief (@DuncanRelief) September 15, 2017
@DuncanRelief it was an honor to be a part of what your doing! @marissaricci13 @133rdAW #IrmaRecovery pic.twitter.com/gcl4GMEe6H
— Matt Hill (@mattisagopher) September 16, 2017
With Tim putting in his $1 million match and the 16,500 incredibly generous donors we have just passed $3,000,000! Every penny helps! #USVI
— Duncan USVI Relief (@DuncanRelief) September 16, 2017
In Day 2, the amount of donations given out was raised to 60,000 total pounds:
Day 2:Timmy is at it again! 60,000 lbs of food distributed by him and his phenomenal team of volunteers. Photos coming soon #?status #USVI
— Duncan USVI Relief (@DuncanRelief) September 16, 2017
According to My San Antonio, Duncan recalled how a Hurricane in 1989 affected his family as he grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a child. The future Hall of Fame big man recounts months without power, school and many other essentials we all take for granted. He’s vowing to help the island with more than just dropping off some water.
“I remember being without power for close to six months,” Duncan recalled Sunday. “I remember being out of school for a month or two.”
What Duncan remembers most were many of his neighbors in St. Croix standing beside the rubble of what used to be their homes, their faces bearing the unmistakable look of “what now?”
“I remember waking up in the morning, walking down my street and being in awe of the houses around without roofs,” Duncan said. “People were gathered around trying to figure out what the next step was going to be.”
Later this week, the 41-year-old Duncan will board a charter flight packed with relief items and head home to survey the damage Hurricane Irma wrought upon the Virgin Islands with its brutal arrival Friday.
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“I want to make sure it’s not a one-ditch effort,” said Duncan, who lived his first 18 years on St. Croix before moving to North Carolina to attend college at Wake Forest.
“Just, ‘Oh yeah, we went down there and did this and it’s done.’ Because the recovery process is not going to be done. It’s going to take months and even years for everyone to recover to normal life.”
You can go to Tim Duncan’s foundation to donate or volunteer and also check out the NBA cares page for more information about where you can help out with other Hurricane relief efforts across the country.
