METALLICA Donates $150,000 To Help With Severe Weather Relief Efforts

METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation is granting a total of $150,000 to three separate organizations to provide assistance and relief to areas affected by severe weather in the United States.

The first two organizations to receive $50,000 each are Team Rubicon and Direct Relief. The funds will assist in their recovery efforts related to the powerful thunderstorms which swept through Mississippi and Alabama on the evening of March 24, 2023, producing multiple tornadoes. According to the National Weather Service, there were reports of 20 tornadoes that swept through the two states that day, including a violent scale 4 Enhanced Fujita (EF) in Rolling Fork, MS. By March 26, another tornado was confirmed to have touched down near LaGrange, Georgia, about 65 miles southeast of Atlanta.

Residents in the path of funnel clouds have lost nearly everything, and in many areas, flipped cars, demolished houses, ripped powerlines, and toppled water towers are all that remain. Homes, businesses, farmland, and most devastatingly, 26 lives have all been lost. The damage to these communities will last a very long time, but the need for aid and the response by both Team Rubicon and Direct Relief are immediate.

Team Rubicon's volunteers, known as "Greyshirts," are boots on the ground in impacted communities, assessing damage and clearing trees and debris from roadways. They are the only non-profit organization conducting this type of service, allowing first responders to come in and residents to leave to access vital resources.

The environment is not the only thing in need of attention. Public health and safety are also serious concerns, from acute injuries to unmanaged chronic conditions that can develop into medical crises. Direct Relief is sending supplies to the Mississippi and Alabama Primary Care Associations, the Mississippi and Alabama Free Clinic Associations, and National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) to support emergency medical care.

The third organization to receive $50,000 from All Within My Hands is Monterey County Storm Relief Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC). The funds will aid those affected by the widespread destruction from recent winter storms and the Pajaro levee breach in Monterey County, California.

The 2023 storms brought a tremendous amount of rain, downed trees, power outages, and flooding that forced nearly 2,000 members of the community of Pajaro to evacuate. Some residents will be unable to return home for weeks, relying on county evacuation centers for support.

The CFMC created the Monterey County Storm Relief Fund to provide relief and recovery for those affected and for first responders. Funds raised will go toward desperately needed food, emergency shelter, financial assistance to those evacuated, and recovery efforts.