“There is horror in the streets,” said Carmen Yulín Cruz, mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, recently in an interview with The Washington Post. Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico and left almost the entire island without food, water, cellular service, internet service or gasoline.
Many citizens aren’t able to reach or connect with their families after the natural disaster to make sure they’re alright. With almost little to no communication, it is necessary we all do our part in helping our fellow Americans down south in Puerto Rico.
Even after initial efforts to help Puerto Rico after the hurricane, Governor Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico urged, “We still need more help from Washington (D.C.),” according to The Washington Post.
Rosselló said he worried after a short period of relief efforts, U.S. Congress will shortchange the island and not give them the amount of money necessary to perform adequate repairs.
The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) has been in touch with all 78 mayors of Puerto Rico who have been issued satellite phones since cellular lines are all down or destroyed, to organize supply shipments over the next few weeks.
In addition, FEMA sent 500 uniformed personnel to assist with caring for wounded and displaced hurricane victims, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Although personnel are currently assisting Puerto Rican citizens, the things that are most needed in Puerto Rico right now are the essentials such as food, water and possibly a way to get off the island, according to CNN.
An estimated 3.4 million people have been left without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This disaster has left Puerto Ricans trying to leave the island because their homes and communities have been decimated. Due to the massive exodus, airlines have become backed up and ticket rates have increased, making it expensive and time consuming to leave the island.
Food and filtered water are also difficult to come by, and the recovery will be long, difficult and expensive. The Red Cross, an international humanitarian organization that provides relief to victims of war or natural disasters, is attempting to deliver supplies, but they’re not able get there fast enough to meet the needs of all the victims due to flooding and isolation.
The best way to contribute to the relief cause in Puerto Rico is to become informed in anyway you possibly can. However, the best item that can help Puerto Rico is to donate money because it can be directly given to the people in the island virtually and doesn’t have to be shipped consuming more time.
By sending money you can help the Red Cross and other trustworthy organizations to assist Puerto Rico by providing crucial home repairs, food, water and basic survival supplies as well. In conclusion, the best thing you can do for Puerto Rico now is to give and aid the reconstruction of the homes of our fellow island citizens.
