A live televised concert by US rock and pop stars to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy has raised $23 million, the US Weekly reported on Sunday. The one-hour, commercial-free broadcast was organized by NBC Universal to raise money for American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts.
"We are incredibly grateful and humbled by this outpouring of support for those who are suffering," the Red Cross' Chief Marketing Officer Peggy Dyer said. "Our preliminary results of nearly $23 million raised are an extraordinary example of how the American people pull together in times of disaster."
The concert was broadcast live on Friday night by US major TV networks and included appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige, Sting and Christina Aguilera.
Sandy, the worst storm in the area in over a century, hit New York and the east coast at the start of this week, killing at least 110 people according to the authorities and causing billions of dollars of damage.