Selena Gomez tells tragic story of family caught in Hurricane Harvey floods at Hand In Hand Telethon

Selena Gomez came together with other A-list starts for the Hand In Hand Hurricane Relief Telethon and recalled the tragic story of six family members whose van was away in Harvey’s flood waters.

Selena Gomez is nothing if not one of the most beautiful souls in Hollywood, inside and out. The 25-year-old proved she was heartbroken earlier in the week in her promo for the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief  telethon, but on September 12, she came forward to tell the tale of the doomed Saldivar family, whose van was washed away by Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters killing an elderly couple and their four great-grandchildren.
Only the couple’s son Sammy, 56, survived. “August 27th: Seven members of the Saldivar family try to escape the rising flood waters,” Selena began in a pre-taped video. “Their van is swept into the bayou. Only Sammy Saldivar manages to survive. I come from Grand Prairie, about 250 miles away from the Sadlivars’ home.”
“Their story affected all who heard it,”she continued, getting choked up and her voice starting to crack. “And no matter who we are, the differences we have suddenly did not seem to matter. Since that day, we have joined together — neighbor helping neighbor, without stopping to think about race, religion or anything else.

“Ricardo Saldivar has spoken out about his brother’s escape and what happened to his beloved family. He said, ‘I know they went to heaven holding hands.’ And if we are going to get through all the storms that confront us, that’s how we are going to do it — together, hand-in-hand,” she said, near tears.

Selena joined stars like her ex Justin Bieber, as well as Drake, Blake Shelton,  Gwen Stefani, and Jamie Foxx to help people left homeless or displaced because of Hurricane Harvey and Irma. As she explained in her promo for the event, it’s the least she and her famous friends could do. “Neighbor helping neighbor, without stopping to think about race, religion or anything else,” Selena begins, choking back tears in a promo on Sept. 11. “If we are going to get through all the storms that confront us that’s how we’re going to do it together — hand in hand.” So far the telethon has raised over $14 million.