Puerto Rico Has Been Devastated by Hurricane Maria—Here's How You Can Help
Just days after the islands of the Caribbean weathered Hurricane Irma, another storm has left the entire population of Puerto Rico without power. As of noon Wednesday, all of the 1.5 million customers of the island’s power company were without service, which means there is no electricity grid for millions of people (it’s home to 3.5 million people). And thanks to an ongoing financial woes, it could be months—yes, months—before power is restored.
Hurricane Maria is one of the strongest storms to hit Puerto Rico (it was the first category 4 to hit since 1932), and it will be impossible to know the true extent of its destruction until after it passes completely. Once the winds have calmed and the rain has stopped, residents will need help with everything from clean water to feminine hygiene products to money to rebuild ruined homes and schools. Here are a few ways you can help.
Unidos Por Puerto Rico: First lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló, joined forces with local businesses to create this aid fund for survivors of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Unicef: This United Nations fund helps children affected by disaster, and donations go toward everything from clean water to school supplies.
Maria & Irma: Puerto Rico Real-time Recovery Fund: This Indiegogo campaign is being managed by ConPRmetidos, a think tank dedicated to promoting social change in Puerto Rico. You can see updates from the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on the page.
Puerto Rican Hurricane Relief Fund: This fund is a group effort between a coalition of Los Angeles–based Puerto Rican groups, including Puerto Ricans in Action, The Ricans Food, I Am HomeMade, and El Floridita. This campaign has already found two local nonprofits to contribute to as they rebuild two towns on the island.
You may be tempted to donate to the Red Cross. Be careful. There are smaller and more local groups that need the help and will spend the money on what residents actually need and can distribute aid more efficiently.
If you’re wondering whether a charity or fund-raiser is trustworthy, you can research it on sites like Charity Navigator, which rates groups on how efficiently they spend their funding and how open they are about how they spend donations.