Last night, everyone from Justin Timberlake and George Clooney to Oprah Winfrey and Lupita Nyong'o joined together for the 'Hand In Hand' telethon to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
Featuring stories of survivors, first responders, and impassioned pleas from celebrities urging viewers to donate funds, help their fellow Americans, and wake up to the devastating effects of climate change, everyone did their bit to highlight the country's ongoing plight and resilience in the face of the hurricanes' aftermath.
One woman in particular to recount the tragic events of the natural disaster last week was Selena Gomez.
In a pre-filmed segment, the 25-year-old - who is currently rumoured to be living with her boyfriend The Weeknd in New York while she shoots Woody Allen's new film - spoke of victims such as the Saldivar family, whose van was submerged in the floods of Hurricane Harvey.
A visibly choked-up Gomez began: 'August 27th: Seven members of the Saldivar family try to escape the rising flood waters. Their van is swept into the bayou. Only Sammy Saldivar manages to survive. I come from Grand Prairie, about 250 miles away from the Sadlivars' home.
'Their story affected all who heard it. And no matter who we are, the differences we have suddenly did not seem to matter. Since that day, we have joined together — neighbour helping neighbour, without stopping to think about race, religion or anything else.
'Ricardo Saldviar has spoken out about his brother's escape and what happened to his beloved family. He said, "I know they went to heaven holding hands." And if we are going to get through all the storms that confront us, that's how we are going to do it — together, hand-in-hand,' she concluded.
Meanwhile, new mother Beyoncé - who has been active in assisting the city of Houston cope in the wake of Harvey - took to the camera to deliver an impassioned plea to the public to help raise funds and spoke about how it felt to watch her home city, Houston, Texas, being hit by so much strife.
'During a time where it's impossible to watch the news without seeing violence or racism in this country, just when you think it couldn't possibly get worse, natural disasters take precious life, do massive damage and forever change lives, leaving behind contaminated water, flooded hospitals, schools and nursing homes,' the singer said in a pre-recorded message,' she said to her fans.
'Natural disasters don't discriminate. They don't see if you're an immigrant, black or white, Hispanic or Asian, Jewish or Muslim, wealthy or poor. It doesn't matter if you're from Third Ward or River Oaks, we're all in this together.
'Seeing everyone of different racial, social and religious backgrounds put their own lives at risk to help each other survive, restored my faith in humanity,' she added.
Last week, Beyoncé delivered an emotional speech to Hurricane Harvey evacuees at Houston's St. John's Church.
'This today is a celebration of survival,' she said.
'Y'all are my family. Houston is my home. I thank God that y'all are safe, that your children are safe. The things that really matter are your health and your children, and your family and your life,' she concluded.
Deadline reports the telethon raised over $14 million for victims - proof that there is always light after the darkness.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
