Beyonce, Clooney, Streisand to headline Harvey telethon September 12

[September 06, 2017]   LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Beyonce and actor George Clooney will headline a telethon to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, which has displaced more than 1 million people in Texas, organizers said on Tuesday.

"Hand in Hand," a Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief, will air live on September 12 from Los Angeles, New York and Nashville on broadcast networks ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC as well as cable music channel CMT and digital platforms Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The broadcast, which will air live on the U.S. East Coast at 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT) and replay on the West Coast at 8 p.m. PST, will include musical performances, taped messages and live appearances from a host of celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, actors Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts, and singers Barbra Streisand, Blake Shelton and George Strait.

The telethon will benefit Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Feeding Texas, United Way and Direct Relief.

Harvey, which came ashore on Aug. 25 and became the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, has killed more than 60 people, displaced more than 1 million others and damaged some 203,000 homes in a path of destruction stretching for more than 300 miles (480 km). It has caused damaged estimated as high as $180 billion.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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