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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raises $1 million for Texas relief in 4 hours

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Posted at 8:11 AM, Feb 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-19 08:11:06-05

NEW YORK — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday that she had raised over $1 million for relief efforts in Texas.

The announcement came hours after the congresswoman said she was raising money for five separate Texas organizations Thursday evening.

The money will be split, according to Ocasio-Cortez, among The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, Ending Community Homeless Coalition (ECHO), Family Eldercare, Houston Food Bank, and Feeding Texas. The organizations are working around the clock to assist houseless, hungry and senior Texans in Travis and Dallas County, and beyond.

Within a couple of hours, Ocasio-Cortez announced they'd amassed $325,000 and announced a goal of $1 million by midnight.

She announced that they'd hit that target just before 10 p.m.

Ocasio-Cortez, said the money will go to help charities that "food, housing, elder care & direct relief straight to vulnerable Texans."

As of Friday morning, 189,000 homes and businesses are still without power in Texas. That number is a significant improvement from the millions that were without electricity earlier this week, but it means that thousands of people have gone without electricity for nearly five straight days in some of the coldest temperatures the state has ever seen.

The state is also now facing a water crisis, as the freezing weather has cracked pipes and left some sanitation stations inoperable. As of Friday morning, 12 million Texans are under orders to boil water before drinking, adding yet another obstacle to those who are still cold and without power.

This story was originally published by Stephen M. Lepore on WPIX in New York City.