AT&T gives $100,000 to Hurricane Sally relief efforts in Alabama

AT&T announced Monday that it is giving $100,000 to help the citizens of South Alabama recover from the destruction caused by Hurricane Sally.

The donation was given to the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund (GERF), a pool of money to which anyone can donate that the State sets aside for use in the wake of natural disasters.

“I appreciate AT&T for immediately mobilizing their employees and their resources to offer support to our citizens, first responders and communities,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement on Monday.

The telecommunications giant also temporarily waived all overages in impacted areas, essentially giving unlimited talk, text and data to their customers in 195 Alabama and Northwest Florida zip codes from September 16 to September 23.

AT&T, along with all other major wireless carriers in the United States, has turned on a system that allows charitable giving via text message.

Anyone with a cellphone can text HURRICANES to 90999 which will trigger a $10 donation to the American Red Cross’ hurricane relief efforts.

Wayne Hutchens, president of AT&T Alabama, commented, “As our teams are working alongside their neighbors along the gulf coast to restore their communities, we are proud to support our first responders and organizations that are dedicated to helping our friends and families as they get back on their feet after the devastation of Hurricane Sally.”

The GERF, to which AT&T donated, is administered by the Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services and was created after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina in 2004 and 2005, according to its website.

Any person with a credit card can donate to the Relief Fund here, via a portal made possible by the United Ways of Alabama.

“Even as we see tremendous suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, we also see shining examples of commitment and care. This is a time for the entire state to rally behind the good people of South Alabama,” Ivey remarked on Monday.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95