Hurricane Irma has destroyed parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands, including the island of St. John, where country superstar Kenny Chesney owns a residence. He recently called in for an interview on HLN’s Morning Express with Robin Meade to discuss the devastation.
In addition to living in Nashville, Kenny Chesney owns a home in the Virgin Islands. He was not present to experience the hurricane in person, but he told Robin Meade that his friends in the area described the damage as “biblical in nature.” When he was asked about his house in the area, Chesney said, “It’s just simply gone.” However, the singer did not seem too concerned about his personal property. Instead, he worried about others directly affected by the hurricane’s destruction.
The Grammy-nominated artist took to social media to spread awareness of the storm. He wrote, “We’re really getting a sense of how bad this all is…I don’t know what to say. I’ve never been in war, but the devastation, the people’s faces in a place I know by heart have left me feeling hopeless. It’s total devastation.”
“That place and the people mean so much more to me than my house. I’ve always felt that music was medicine and I’m gonna do everything that I possibly can to try to relieve some stress from people that I’ve really grown to love over the years, who have meant so much to my life,” Chesney said. “This place, these islands, have meant so much to me. They’ve shaped me as a human being. It’s given me creativity. It’s given me a different way to look at the world, a different window to see the world through. And when you look through that window right now, as you can tell, it’s just devastation. It’s really odd to see such a beautiful place look like a war zone.”
The Category 5 hurricane has reached 180 mph winds, and it hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday night after hitting a string of small northern Caribbean islands. Hurricane Irma left at least one million residents in Puerto Rico without power, and it continues to rush through Florida. It is one of the strongest storms every recorded on the Atlantic.
While Hurricane Irma is still moving, Chesney and his team are creating a new relief foundation called “Love for Love City,” which is a reference to St. John’s nickname, “Love City.” Details are still being finalized, but Kenny says that there will be a ‘musical connection’ to help raise money along with accepting donations.
Check out the whole interview with Robin Meade below, and visit Kenny’s website to find out how to donate to his Hurricane Irma relief foundation.
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