Faith Hill sings for Katrina victims

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Faith Hill says giving back just comes naturally for the Mississippi native, and she has a message for those still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

“We are here for you still and you are not forgotten,” Hill said before headlining a free concert last Tuesday evening in New Orleans to support those still rebuilding five years later.

She says the evening at the Mahalia Jackson Theater was intended to celebrate how far the Gulf Coast has come since the 2005 storm flooded New Orleans and surrounding areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to give back,” Hill said.

“When you’ve been given so much, it’s only right that I do what I can to help, if I can.”

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band was asked to open Tuesday’s event and about 2,200 tickets were distributed in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette and the Mississippi cities of Biloxi and Jackson.

Hill’s husband, country singer Tim McGraw, is a Louisiana native and both are veterans of employing celebrity clout to help raise money or awareness for causes.

The couple helped organize a flood-relief benefit concert for Nashville after the Tennessee city was deluged by historic rains that left 22 dead in early May.

“Sometimes, with celebrity, you can make things happen pretty easily,” said Hill, a five-time Grammy Award winner now working on a new release.

She urged people to support New Orleans and other coastal communities whose livelihoods are now threatened by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

“My message is ‘Come to New Orleans and experience this great city.’ Yes, there are places that are still rebuilding and are not quite back yet, but when they do come back, they’ll come back better.”