Country Stars Rally for Flood Relief

Taylor Swift is donating $500,000 to flood relief in Nashville.

The announcement was made on Thursday night's "Flood Relief with Vince Gill and Friends," a telethon held on local Nashville station WSMV. Other stars who participated include Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, Amy Grant, Lorrie Morgan, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar and Bo Bice.

The money threy raised will go to various flood relief organizations in the city rocked by a series of deadly storms and flooding that killed 30 in three states, including 20 in Tennessee.

Photos: Country Stars Knee-Deep in Water
Photos: Flooding at the Grand Ole Opry
Nashville Under Water
Photos: Flooding in Tennessee
Photos: Taylor Swift

Swift's generous gift was announced by the show's host after Swift finished an interview from her tour stop in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Being at home during the storm, I honestly could not believe what was happening to the city and the people I love so dearly," Swift told the Associated Press.

Cleanup and repair is expected to cost more than $1 billion and thousands of homes, including those of singers Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley and Julie Roberts, were damaged. Pleas to donate to relief organizations started early and Nashville's musical talent, from local bands and clubs to the biggest stars ,are giving their time and money to the effort.

Pop singer Kesha will hold a benefit concert for her hometown of Nashville on June 16.

Country music cable network GAC announced it will air a telethon May 16 that will include Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Rodney Atkins and other stars live from the Ryman Auditorium.

The CMA Festival is now donating half of the net proceeds of the 2010 CMA Music Festival in June to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief.

Other than helping Nashville get back on its' feet, many of the city's best-known musicians are recovering from damage to their own homes and loss of equipment. Water rose above the first floor in country star Kenny Chesney's home, and it will most likely be condemned, his publicist told the Associated Press.

Much of Brad Paisley's staging and props for his coming concerts are under water from the flood and most of his guitars, amps and equipment have been destroyed. Other stars like Keith Urban, Vince Gill and Leann Rimes, all lost valuable equipment and memorabilia in the flood.