L.B. relief concert benefits hurricane victims

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Crowds of people gathered at National Boulevard beach on Sunday to attend a hurricane relief concert hosted by the city and the Civil Service Employees Association to benefit victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, José and Maria.

More than 500 attendees listened to performances by local musicians and purchased $20 T-shirts to support the cause.

“We wanted to pay it forward like others paid it forward for us five years ago,” CSEA President John Mooney said, referring to Hurricane Sandy. “Hopefully we give relief to a few people.”

The show closed the city’s free summer concert series and featured local artists, including Desperado Ridge, an Eagles Tribute Band; Killer Joe, a rock and roll party band; the Liverpool Shuffle, a Beatles Tribute band; and All About Joel, a Billy Joel Tribute band.

The concert raised more than $14,000, Mooney said, but donations are still welcome, and t-shirts are still being sold.

He said people can visit the Recreation Department or the CSEA office to donate money or gift cards, or visit the websites of the Sister Season Fund or the AFSCME Fallen Heroes Fund, which are both collecting money to send to hurricane victims.

Houston, Miami, Puerto Rico and other areas devastated by the hurricanes are suffering from major infrastructure damage, flooding, and a lack of clean water and electricity, among other things.

And although the recent storms have caused destruction in other parts of the world, many local residents have felt the repercussions.

“We fully support the relief effort and we hope to do more,” said City Council President Len Torres, who has family in Puerto Rico who were affected by Hurricane Maria. “My father is in a nursing home, and they’ve had an emergency generator and water, but we’re very concerned. I don’t know if he’d be able to stay in conditions like that.”

He added that his brother, who lives in the mountains, has not had access to electricity since Maria hit, and that a major problem that plagues the country is a lack of clean water.

Cliff Skudin, co-owner of Skudin Surf in Long Beach and the Skudin Surf Shack in Puerto Rico, which also houses a checked on a friend and business partner who lives in Puerto Rico and was affected by the storm.

“Thank God he and his family are OK and in good health,” Skudin wrote on Facebook, referring to Road to Happiness Surf School owner Albert Lash.

“This is just the beginning of a full relief effort project coming into fruition within the next few weeks once the dust settles,” Skudin told the Herald. “We’re going to be doing a lot to help our brothers and sisters down there. Anything from on-the-ground rebuilding, to fundraisers, to relief efforts — everything is being worked on right now.”

Skudin commended the efforts of the city and the CSEA for Sunday’s concert.

“The CSEA came strong — the men and women came down on their day off to give back,” he said. “I think it sends a real clear message of what Long Beach is and how we all come together, because we’ve been through it. It’s something you can relate to.”