Tag: Hurricane Laura

Rockets, Tilman Fertitta send hurricane relief supplies to Louisiana

The Rockets distributed essential items to families in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to aid with relief efforts following Hurricane Laura.

The Houston Rockets and the family of owner Tilman Fertitta distributed essential items Tuesday to families in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to aid with relief efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Laura.

In recent weeks, the Rockets conducted a company-wide supply drive and worked with numerous team sponsors and partners to gather the items — which were transported from Toyota Center on Tuesday morning to Fertitta’s Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino.

United Way of Southwest Louisiana helped notify nearby families of the distribution, which was open to those in need that reside in the community of Lake Charles and surrounding areas.

The Rockets partnered with Budweiser, Kroger, Memorial Hermann, Pepsi, Second Servings, Silver Eagle Distributors, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka to help supplement their supply drive. Items included water, cleaning and medical supplies, toiletries, masks, hand sanitizer, and pet food.

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Texans WR Randall Cobb starts Hurricane Laura Relief Fund

Houston Texans WR Randall Cobb is teaming up with New Orleans Saints DE Marcus Davenport to start a Hurricane Laura Relief Fund.

Houston Texans receiver Randall Cobb has a history of coming through the clutch for his teammates on the field, and the former Pro Bowler seeks to have the same impact for survivors of Hurricane Laura.

The former Green Bay Packers 2011 second-round pick announced he is teaming up with New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport to start the Hurricane Laura Relief Fund, which will help communities across Texas and Louisiana that were affected by Hurricane Laura.

With so much unrest in the world from the COVID-19 pandemic to social unrest, Cobb and Davenport have focused on the people of Texas and Louisiana, who feel their worlds are in even more disrepair after Hurricane Laura.

For more information on how you can help Cobb and Davenport in their mission to provide aid to those affected by Laura, visit AthletesDoingGood.org or text HurricaneLaura to 76278 to donate.

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Marcus Davenport teams up with Randall Cobb for Hurricane Laura relief

New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport teamed up with Houston Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb for Hurricane Laura relief.

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New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport is stepping up to assist communities in Louisiana and Texas that were devastated by Hurricane Laura, the recent Category 4 storm that made landfall near Lake Charles, La. on Aug. 27. Davenport announced Wednesday that he and Houston Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb are joining forces to raise money for relief in those hurricane-ravaged areas.

Davenport, a San Antonio native and third-year pro in New Orleans, is well aware of how destructive hurricanes can be. So it’s great to see him step up when so many people are in such a tight spot. His marketing representatives released a statement announcing the launch of their relief fund:

Randall Cobb of the Houston Texans and Marcus Davenport of the New Orleans Saints are joining together to start a Hurricane Laura Relief Fund to help the communities in both Texas and Louisiana devastated from Hurricane Laura.

These are already difficult times. Although the people in Texas and Louisiana were already dealing with the ramifications of a global pandemic, struggles addressing social justice and the warm temperatures; yet, they recently faced another tragedy with Hurricane Laura. Cobb and Davenport are hoping to provide some relief.

Interested donors can help by visiting AthletesDoingGood.org or texting HurricaneLaura to 76278. While Davenport is hard at work preparing for the start of the Saints season, it’s worth remembering that there are issues bigger than football.

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Hurricane Laura 2020: Houston Texans donate $25K to United Way of Orange County

The Houston Texans are donating $25,000 to the United Way of Orange County to assist the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

The Houston Texans announced Friday evening they will be helping out Orange County following the devastation from Hurricane Laura.

According to a statement from the team via the official Twitter account, the Texans will be donating $25,000 to the United Way of Orange County to assist with the efforts to cleanup and aid the community in the aftermath of Laura.

On early Thursday morning, Laura made landfall in southeastern Texas and southwester Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane. As of Friday evening, the storm had claimed the lives of 14 people.

Laura threatened to cancel the Texans’ scrimmage at NRG Stadium Thursday, and the team was extra cautious on Wednesday and sent personnel home to work virtually. However, the storm’s devastation was far to the east of Houston and had no material impact on the Bayou City or the surrounding area.

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Hurricane Laura 2020: Texans scrimmage to be held at NRG Stadium

The Houston Texans will move forward with their planned training camp scrimmage at NRG Stadium Thursday evening.

The Houston Texans are sticking to their original plan and will have scrimmage at NRG Stadium Thursday night.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans will have their scrimmage at their home venue after taking precautions due to the effects of Hurricane Laura, which swept through southeast Texas and upward into northwest Louisiana Thursday morning.

The scrimmage was up in the air on Wednesday as the club sent their staff and personnel home to work virtually with NRG Stadium shutdown at 2:30 p.m. that day.

Having the scrimmage on Thursday is important, according to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, in getting the team ready for the regular season.

“I think it’s just that, I think you have to, without preseason games, in my opinion just for our football team, what’s best for our team is to have two of these scrimmages,” O’Brien told reporters on Aug. 25. “At least one of these in full pads where we warm up like a game, we treat it as much like a game as we possibly can. Coaches in the press box and kind of go through all that. Basically, the logistics of a game.”

Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will be calling plays in to quarterback Deshaun Watson, and first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will be relaying plays to inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney. All of these components are key to getting Houston ready for their Sept. 10 opener at the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Hurricane Laura 2020: Houston Texans to close NRG Stadium, work virtually

The Houston Texans aren’t taking any chances and have decided to close NRG Stadium and work virtually as Hurricane Laura makes landfall.

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The Houston Texans have been the paragon of safety and caution amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and handling hurricanes is in their wheelhouse.

Operating with the same abundance of caution that has netted zero positive COVID-19 tests since the start of training camp, the team has decided to close NRG Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday

“The @HoustonTexans will close the stadium at 2:30pm to ensure everyone gets home safely with the threat of Hurricane Laura looming,” Texans vice president of communications Amy Palcic tweeted. “The team will meet virtually on Thursday morning and reassess if it is safe to come back for the scrimmage scheduled for Thursday evening.”

Laura is expected to hit the mainland late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. The storm’s path is not expected to hit Houston, veering more towards to the east and traveling up the Texas-Louisiana border into Arkansas.

Coach and general manager Bill O’Brien doesn’t believe it will the same as Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston and south Texas hard in August of 2017, but will have its own unique effects.

“We’re on top of it and we’ll make a call when we have to make the call,” O’Brien said. “I think this one is different than Harvey, right.”

According to O’Brien, the concern the Texans would have from Laura’s effects would be damaging the practice bubble at Houston Methodist Training Center.

Hurricane Laura 2020: Will it affect the Houston Texans scrimmage?

Hurricane Laura is set to make landfall late Wednesday night, early Thursday morning. Will it impact the Houston Texans’ scrimmage on Thursday?

The Houston Texans plan to have their scrimmage for Thursday, although Hurricane Laura could have a say in the matter.

The Category 3 hurricane had sustained winds of 115 mph as of 7:00 a.m. with a potential for 140 mph later Wednesday. Laura is expected to be a Category 4 when it makes landfall late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

Currently, coach and general manager Bill O’Brien and executive vice president Jack Easterby are looking at two different models on Laura’s projections.

“Now I’m looking at a European model and I’m looking at this other model and I’m like which model do you, I don’t even — one looks like it’s headed toward Louisiana and we’re on the west of it,” O’Brien said.

If Laura continues with a more easterly path as it relates to Houston, then the city should not feel any effects from the storm.

O’Brien and Easterby are working with team president Jamey Rootes and others to ensure they make the safest, smartest decision.

“We’re on top of it and we’ll make a call when we have to make the call,” said O’Brien. “I think this one is different than (Hurricane) Harvey, right.”

The concern with Laura, according to O’Brien is the wind, not the flooding, as was the case with Harvey in August of 2017. The wind factor could have an impact on the team’s practice bubble at Houston Methodist Training Center if Laura indeed moves that far west.

Mike D’Antoni ready to help Houston as Hurricane Laura nears

The Rockets are nearly a thousand miles away at the NBA bubble in Florida, but they’re well aware of the tropical threat back home.

With the 2020 playoffs held at the league’s Disney World “bubble” complex near Orlando due to COVID-19, the Houston Rockets are close to a thousand miles away from their usual NBA home.

Nonetheless, with Hurricane Laura poised to threaten parts of the Upper Texas Gulf Coast on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the Rockets are well aware of preparations being made back in Houston.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni and his wife, Laurel, played key roles in helping Houston recover from flooding caused in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey. Now that another storm is on the horizon, D’Antoni said at Tuesday’s practice that the area is in his thoughts. Moreover, he is again prepared to help out, as needed, depending on the outcome.

When asked about Laura by a reporter, D’Antoni said:

I think it’s on the mind of everybody. It’s a topic of conversation. We’re getting real concerned about everybody, and hopefully you all stay safe. I really hope they prepared. And get ready to give money to disaster relief organizations to come in and help people.

We’ve all got to band together. We’ve been through it before, and it’s not going to be the last time. Every summer, we’ve got to take steps to do what you can do, and get ready to help your local agencies.

The latest information about the projected path of the storm and its anticipated arrival times are available from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). Laura’s landfall is expected to occur a few hours after the Rockets wrap up Wednesday’s Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City, which tips off at 5:30 p.m. Central.

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