CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has pledged a $1 million contribution to relief efforts in the Bahamas, in response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian.
Jordan's pledge comes a year after he made a similar contribution in response to Hurricane Florence. Jordan, who grew up in Wilmington, pledged $2 million after Florence caused severe damage up and down the North and South Carolina coasts.
Dorian stalled over the Bahamas, leaving approximately 70,000 people homeless and causing at least 45 deaths. In a brief statement on his pledge, Jordan said he owns property in the Bahamas and has long enjoyed visiting the country.
"My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering and to those who have lost loved ones," Jordan said via a spokesperson. "As the recovery and relief efforts continue, I will be tracking the situation closely and working to identify non-profit agencies where the funds will have the most impact.
"The Bahamian people are strong and resilient and I hope that my donation will be of help as they work to recover from this catastrophic storm."
Jordan was particularly moved by the devastation in and around Wilmington a year ago. In an interview with the Observer at the time, Jordan said his concern in situations such as this is the damage gets abundant initial attention, but then focus strays from long-term recovery.
"People need to understand this will not be a week-long process," Jordan said last September. "This is going to be a huge disruption of people's lives _ not for 10 days, but for years."
Just before the start of training camp last year, Hornets employees _ including Jordan, and the players and coaches _ spent a day at Second Harvest Food Bank of the Metrolina, packing thousands of disaster food boxes sent to the Carolinas coast.
