Falcons' Arthur Blank Announces $1M Donation to Hurricane Ida Relief Efforts

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is contributing to the Hurricane Ida relief efforts. 

Per an official statement from the Falcons, Blank is donating $1 million to the American Red Cross and Greater New Orleans Foundation through the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation: 

"This storm's impact on many people and communities will be felt for some time and that includes many of our family, friends and associates across our portfolio of businesses and foundation who have personal connections to the Gulf Coast. Many of the communities being devastated by this storm are already reeling from COVID. So many are without power and resources are already stretched thin, so it is not only impacting those who were in the storm's path, but also those who've been called upon to help those areas get back on their feet."

Both organizations will receive $500,000 each, bringing the total contribution from Blank to $1 million. 

Per Rebecca Santana and Jay Reeves of the Associated Press, more than 1 million homes and businesses across Mississippi and Louisiana are without power after Ida made landfall on Sunday. 

Santana and Reeves noted the entire city of New Orleans is among the places with no power. 

Entergy New Orleans tweeted Tuesday morning that it was "conducting inspections of the system to get a clearer picture of what will be needed to repair the destruction." The company noted a full assessment of the damage could take "several days, as many areas are currently inaccessible."

In addition to the property damage across Mississippi and Louisiana, sweltering heat conditions in both states could cause additional problems since many people are without power and have limited access to water. 

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton told reporters the team is preparing to be away from the city for the first quarter of the regular season.