38+ Days Post Hurricane María And What You Can Do About It
If you happen to read one of my previous posts on how powerless I felt as a Puerto Rican here in Syracuse while my entire family was facing the aftermath of Hurricane María (which you can find here), or if you’ve been paying attention to the news and social media this past month, you know of the dire situation my home is dealing with right now. As of Saturday, October 28th, 38 days after the hurricane, according to status.pr 72.4% of the island is still without power, 33% has no running water and 37% of the island does not have cell service.
A couple of weeks ago I returned to Syracuse after spending fifteen days in Puerto Rico on an emergency trip to bring supplies and cash to my family. What I saw cannot be unseen. Homes and roads destroyed, people starving in every corner, four hour lines to get limited amounts of gasoline, cash and drinking water.
The hottest item on the market isn’t the new iPhone, it’s an old school washboard; everyone has one in their homes, and those who don’t were looking to buy them. One of my cousins lost her home, many of my friends lost theirs as well. Mosquitoes are driving everyone crazy and the heat is unbearable; all I see on social media now is how my island has lost about a thousand lives that the government refuses to acknowledge, claiming those deaths were of “natural causes” rather than the aftermath of the crisis, and the colossal wave of immigration to the US mainland that should be within the 40K mark on an island that has over three million habitants.
To top it all, there is a Leptospirosis outbreak happening in the island with all the potential of an epidemic due to the uninhabitable conditions my people are facing right now. With everyone freaking out over the mumps here in Syracuse, imagine how much worse it would be if you had no running water, no power and no food on top of the mumps. You’d want to receive as much help as you could in order to survive, right?
Luckily, there are several options for you to help. There have been several food and supply donation events hosted by Hendricks Chapel, as well as other events hosted by several of our schools throughout the university. Additionally, there are a couple events that will be happening in the upcoming weeks, one of them is the One Love Benefit Concert for Hurricane Relief at The Palace Theatre on Sunday November 12, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. featuring performances by Joe Driscoll, Grupo Pagán, and Newhouse’s very own Bob Halligan Jr. who teaches Music Underscoring, as well as other classes, among others. For more information on One Love Puerto Rico, make sure to check out the official event on Facebook, as well as their website for tickets and sponsorship right here.
Another event I would love for you to join is the New York Stands With Puerto Rico Benefit Concert, as part of the Funk Gives Back campaign by Funk ’n Waffles. Proceeds of this event will go to C.O.A.S.I., a local non profit organization located in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico that’s been helping those in need with food and supplies for years, even before disaster struck.
This event will also feature Driscoll, with performances by FLOTUS and X-MON. This one will be on Saturday November 18, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Funk ‘N Waffles Downtown.
Whether you go to just one or another, or even find a way to help in your own way, I want to thank you. No gesture is too small and all the help we can bring my people is greatly appreciated.
