I cannot share links to donating sites and fundraising events because the legislative ethics rules do not allow use of state resources for private gain, including non-profit organizations. However, if you are interested in helping the people of Puerto Rico, please refer to the links below where you can get more information on what is needed and how to get resources to the island.
It’s been almost a month since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico wreaking havoc and causing widespread destruction, literally wiping out its infrastructure across the island.
The situation remains chaotic, as 40 percent of households still don’t have phone service and 80 percent of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million people are still without power.
With these minimal resources, communications to and from the island continue to be challenging.
My office has received numerous calls from people looking for information and asking if there are agencies or organizations they can turn to that can facilitate reaching their loved ones in Puerto Rico.
Here are some of the websites that came to mind. I hope you find them useful:
- Puerto Rican Association of Washington State: http://www.praws.org/contact
- FEMA’s Puerto Rico page for updates: https://www.fema.gov/states/puerto-rico
- American Red Cross Safe and Well Registry: https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php
- Email the Puerto Rico Disaster Relief team at maria1@prfaa.pr.gov for help connecting you with loved ones
- Information on the status of Puerto Rico: http://status.pr/