J.J. Watt has raised over $6 million dollars since Sunday for the flood victims in Houston and is ready to put donations to use.
"I think it's extremely important that we get home as quickly as we possibly can," Watt said Wednesday. "I know we're very excited to get back there and see our people but also to start helping. I know my guys, the team has been incredible throughout the whole thing. Everybody's asking how they can help, everybody's asking what they can do, and I think we're just very, very excited to get back there, be with our city and help our city rebuild."
On Wednesday, the NFL cancelled Thursday's Texans-Cowboys preseason game, which had been relocated from NRG Stadium to AT&T Stadium. Within hours, the team headed home on buses. The Texans had been on the road for one week, first in New Orleans for a joint practice and preseason game before being diverted to Dallas.
For days, the Texans had been unable to do anything but sit and watch the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey on the city of Houston from hundreds of miles away. Watt and his teammates already have plans to immediately assist in relief efforts for Houston and surrounding areas.
"I've already begun the process," Watt said. "We're filling the semi-trucks as we speak. Many people have donated their trucks, their time, donated food, water, clothing, generators, things like that. The goal is we're going to get those trucks down here by this weekend, hopefully the tentative plan is Sunday. A bunch of my teammates are going to help me out in a few different locations around town to be determined and we're going to hand out those supplies."
Watt says he plans to continue his online fundraising page with the next goal set at $10 million and give regular updates on how donations are being used in the recovery efforts.
