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When disaster strikes
Sharon Harris takes pride in how the gaming sector reacts to real-world crises.
Harrah’s Cherokee donated $20,000 to charity and urged its guests to do the same. It also collected food and clothing contributions. This popular region may take months, or even years, to rebuild many rural towns and roads. Western North Carolina’s huge tourism industry typically enjoys an estimated $7.7 billion annually.
That area was always on my own travel “bucket list” because of the beautiful mountains and autumn foliage. Thankfully, a small portion of the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway recently reopened and I may be able to get there someday. Before anyone could recover and begin rebuilding, Hurricane Milton blasted Florida’s Gulf Coast two weeks later. It is an ever-changing number, but the financial toll is at least $30 billion-plus in damage and the human toll is more than 29 deaths.
The Tampa region was hard hit both times. Two of my family members lost their cars during Helene. They then evacuated for days before Milton hit. Multiply them by tens of thousands and it was a region in crisis.
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n times of emergency, I’ve been proud to work in gaming, which always steps up as good corporate citizens. Last month, Hard Rock and Harrah’s quickly mobilized to help its Florida and North Carolina casino regions after two violent hurricanes slammed the Southeast within two weeks. Called the “deadliest hurricane” in mainland America since Katrina in 2005, Helene came first. She inflicted an estimated $40 billion in damage so far from Florida to North Carolina. Sadly, at least 250 died and many remain missing.
The final tally is uncertain. Western North 12 NOVEMBER 2024
Carolina, mostly rural and mountainous, has suffered the most. Communities, roads and utilities were either wiped out or faced devastation for weeks.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation limited travel to essential vehicles. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Murphy Casino both survived with little damage. Although located in that restricted area, they were operational with water, power and internet. Their willingness and ability to offer resources proved pivotal to sustain residents without power and water for days.
Enter the Hard Rock. Headquartered in South Florida’s East Coast, the company’s six Florida casinos statewide make it the largest market of its 16 U.S. and Dominican Republic gaming properties. In Tampa, the leadership immediately jumped into the fray by offering emotional and economic support to the community. While Hurricane Milton was labeled a catastrophic Category 5 storm, it weakened as it moved toward land near Tampa. Despite limited functioning, Hard Rock Tampa was running within a week.
Hard Rock donated $1 million to the Red Cross and World Central Kitchen, which supplied meals for evacuees and first responders. Hard Rock Tampa also opened its Event Center to serve as a state-designated shelter for more than 1,000 displaced area residents whose homes had been destroyed. The Event Center was stocked
19/6/24 09:49
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