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US billionaire Michael Dell and his wife Susan announced Friday an initiative to raise $100 million in private funds for Hurricane Harvey recovery.
The Dells, both Houston natives, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” program that they were donating $18 million to kick off the fund, and for every $2 raised by others over the US Labor Day holiday weekend, they will match the donation with a dollar of their own.
“Susan and I were both born and raised” in Houston, said the CEO of Dell Technologies.
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He expressed dismay at seeing the neighborhood where he grew up “underwater on television and — literally, I saw a street I rode my bike on every day riding to school.”
His wife Susan said that growing up, their families vacationed in the hurricane-ravaged coastal cities of Corpus Christi and Rockport.
“We want to basically bring the power of private contributions to the recovery efforts,” she said.
Her husband has a net worth of $22.9 billion, making him the 37th wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
