Owners of the Hurricane Dorian Jeep are raising money, but not for a new car
The owners of the famous red Jeep seen by viewers around the world when it got stuck on a South Carolina beach during Hurricane Dorian are now raising money online.
But any money from their GoFundMe page won’t go to a new set of wheels. Instead, any donations will go to hurricane relief in the Bahamas, which were devastated by Dorian earlier in the week.
“We may have lost a vehicle but that is small in comparison to what others have lost during this storm,” Dee Horrell writes on the fundraising page. “In honor of the red Jeep, we will be donating all funds to UNICEF (100% tax deductible) to help with the disaster relief in the Bahamas, as well as a direct wire transfer through the Bahamian government.”
The Jeep became a TV and social media fixture Thursday after it became stuck in the sand as Dorian approached Myrtle Beach. The jeep was pummeled by surging waves, at one point losing its bumper, all while cameras captured the carnage. On Friday, after the waters receded, the city towed the remains of the Jeep away.
Horrell writes that the Jeep was being driven by a family member to get video footage of the ocean when it became disabled, and he wasn’t able to get help to the vehicle before the tide came in.
“It was in no way done on purpose for publicity, nor was it for an insurance claim,” Horrell said.
But the Jeep did get a lot of publicity the day of the hurricane. One man even serenaded the Jeep with “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes. The attention was taken in good stride by the owners.
“Thank you for the memes,” Horrell writes, “and to the man who played the bagpipe — we love you!”
After a day, the fundraiser garnered $520.
This story was originally published September 6, 2019 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Owners of the Hurricane Dorian Jeep are raising money, but not for a new car."
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