As many of you know, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico September 6, 2017. The island was devastated, left in ruins, and families from the island were completely disconnected from their family members that remained on the island and on the mainland. It is being referred to as the worst natural disaster to ever hit Dominican and Puerto Rican shores. While many volunteers and groups such as the Red Cross and Samaritans Purse immediately responded, it took a while (too long in many people's opinions) for the federal government to step in. Nine days after devastation struck, only half of the National Guard in Puerto Rico was called to action.
It took three more days for the President of the United States to respond in person. When he did arrive in Puerto Rico, he proceeded to throw paper towels to victims as if he were throwing t-shirts at a concert to excited guests, and said to them, "Every death is a horror, but you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds, and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here and what is your death count? Sixteen people, versus the hundreds? You can be very proud. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people." He then proceeded to tell them what a great job FEMA has done, and "I hate to tell you Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack... That's fine. We saved a lot of lives".
Now, the truth is, that the official count thus far is around 66 people, however, it is estimated that Hurricane Maria claimed the lives of over 1,000 people.
1. Almost Like Praying
Lin-Manuel Miranda produced a single with all Latin Artists in October of 2017. All proceeds go to the Hispanic Federation to aid in helping Puerto Rico.
2. You can donate cash
Humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Save the Children, Oxfam, etc. are accepting donations.
3. You can donate supplies
UNICEF, LifeStraw, Casa Pueblo, and Operation Agua are all accepting supply donations or cash donations to help send supplies to the Puerto Rican people.
4. Volunteer
You can provide legal assistance to victims filing FEMA claims and other emergency funding. Ayudalegalpr.org provides free clinics around Puerto Rico and are looking for lawyers to volunteer on the island and on the mainland. Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) will pair you with teams that are already on the ground in Puerto Rico.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/puerto-rico-hu...
5. Call Your State Representatives
There is progress being seen not only on the island, but in the effort from the government on the mainland. However, it is taking to long and is not a priority. Call your representatives and tell them to make the Puerto Rican people, OUR people, a priority. There is still much to be done.
6. Word of Mouth
By talking to your friends and family about Puerto Rico and the devastation that the island still faces, you create a ripple effect. Maybe not all at once, but you do spread awareness and that can lead people to help in their own ways or the ways listed above.