Hurricane Fiona: How to Help Puerto Rico #PrayforPuertoRico
Connecticut has one of the highest concentrated Puerto Rican populations of any state. That has made it a common destination for those looking to escape the conditions.
- Puerto Rico still has not recovered from the immense damage caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people.
- Hurricane Fiona dumped more than 2 feet of rain over the weekend.
- The storm left residents with no power, no gas, and limited ways to communicate and travel.
The Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury - CLICK HERE FOR WAYS TO HELP
Americares CLICK HERE
Hurricane Fiona caused widespread destruction and catastrophic flooding in the Caribbean, killing at three people, cutting off access to running water, and spurring island-wide power outages in Puerto Rico. The hurricane struck Puerto Rico close to the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria. Your donation to the Hurricane Fiona Relief Fund will provide immediate and long-term relief in affected communities.
Red Cross Responds to Devastating Storms in Puerto Rico, USVI and Alaska CLICK HERE TO HELP
FIONA Red Cross disaster teams are in Puerto Rico and nearby, poised to resume relief services when it is safe do so. Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico with 75 mph winds and heavy rain, knocking out power to the entire island. Some areas might see as much as 30 inches of rain before the storm moves away from Puerto Rico, and flooding, mudslides and debris are making it difficult to restore power and assess the damage. Hundreds have been evacuated and people are being urged to move to higher ground now. Rescuers have conducted multiple swift water rescues. Public transportation is at a halt and airports and seaports continue to remain closed
In Puerto Rico, the government opens and manages emergency shelters. Reports indicate more than 120 shelters are open, many in schools powered by solar micro-grid power systems installed with a Red Cross contribution of nearly $1.5 million after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.
Prior to Hurricane Fiona making landfall, the Red Cross prepositioned blood products to support hospitals in Puerto Rico. On Monday, the Red Cross sent additional units of platelets to support patients there. Platelets have a short shelf life of only 5 days. The Red Cross urges those in non-impacted areas to give blood and platelets by visiting RedCrossBlood.org.
Fiona also passed over the U.S. Virgin Islands with heavy rain and 45 mph winds. Many are without power and the main hospital and 911 Center are operating with generator power. Trained Red Cross disaster workers will help with damage assessment when it is safe and are working with officials to determine what help is needed.
Project Hope is helping Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and have now mobilized emergency response teams to support our teams on the ground to assess the health and medical needs of those impacted as we continue to monitor the path of the storm: CLICK HERE TO HELP
The Sato Project is dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned dogs from Puerto Rico.
From the Sato Team:
"We managed to get to the beach today and have already shared a couple of pics of the devastation there. The ocean swell was huge and where there was a road its now part of the beach and covered in sand.
We have been incredibly worried about our newest feral pack and wanted to check on them and ensure they had access to fresh water and fresh food.
Sadly we only saw three of them and they were obviously very traumatized.
The puppies are usually playful and cheeky - today they were shaking and scared.
We want to be clear that all 16 of these dogs are a work in progress to be rescued - they had zero positive human interaction until 2 weeks ago.
Our plan is to rescue ALL of them however that does not happen overnight.
Building trust is paramount.
As soon as we are able (and the continued flash flood alerts have stopped to enable our team to operate safely) our humane trap will be repositioned in an effort to try and safely bring these needy satos into our program.
We did manage to get their sister the day before Fiona and she rode out the storm safely in our vets office.
Thank you to everyone who has donated, sent their support and reached out to volunteer. Our small but mighty team is being inundated with hundreds of messages and so please do be patient as we work through them all.
Tonight as much of the island is still without power and water our PR team are strategizing and planning as to how we can help the largest number of needy satos in the most effective ways possible.
If you want to help our efforts you can donate in the link in our bio 🙏🏽
Staying #satostrong"
There are currently an estimated 500,000 stray dogs roaming the island’s streets and beaches. With no access to food, fresh water, or veterinary care, many of these dogs are living daily lives of severe suffering. The municipal shelter system is drastically overwhelmed, with only five shelters across all 78 of the island’s municipalities. These shelters have a combined euthanasia rate of over 94%. For thousands of stray and abandoned dogs across Puerto Rico, we are their only hope.