Games Done Quick has quickly put together a speedrunning race to support Hurricane Helene relief

Games Done Quick will hold a special Disaster Relief Done Quick Speedrunning event next Wednesday to raise money for people affected by Hurricane Helene. The category 4 storm devastated entire communities in multiple US states and killed more than 200 people.

Hurricane Helene hit the Florida coast in September, but the US National Weather Service said its greatest impact was felt "across southern Appalachia where widespread severe and unparalleled flooding occurred with hundreds fatalities and billions of dollars in property damage." Strong wind gusts caused property damage and blew down trees and powerlines in a wide swath extending from the Gulf Coast up to the North Carolina Mountains. The death toll will continue to rise. According to an MSNBC report, at least 215 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds more are still missing.

Disaster Relief Done Quick has been implemented in response to this urgency. Speedrun submissions will be accepted up until midnight Eastern Time on October 6, and the event will begin at 6 pm ET on Sunday, October 11, and run until midnight Monday, October 13.

The full speedrun showcase is broadcast on the Games Done Quick Channel on Twitch. All donations made during the event go to Direct Relief. Direct Relief is a humanitarian organization that works across the US, as well as internationally, "with the mission to improve the lives and health of people affected by poverty and emergencies, without regard to politics or religion, or their ability to pay."

Since 2010, Games Done Quick marathons have raised more than 50 million dollars for charity. The annual Awesome Games Done Quick, Summer Games Done Quick, and the Frame Fatales events, for women and nonbinary speedrunners that began in 2019, are the flagship events. There have also been a few standalone GDQ races over the years, such as the 2017 Harvey Relief Done Quick Marathon to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey. This event raised more than $229,000.