Washington has promised help and financial support to Puerto Rico in the wake of two devastating hurricanes this month.
The First Lady of Puerto Rico is sponsoring a page of basic information, collecting donations to help with hurricane response, in cooperation with the American Red Cross and the United Way. Entertainer Jennifer Lopez has joined this effort, donating one million dollars. The Ponce Health Sciences University has posted a web page with frequent updates and links to information.
Charitable organizations are also stepping up.
- Samaritan’s Purse was one of the first organizations to put people on the ground. They are bringing in tarps and generators to provide shelter and working with local church organizations to meet the immediate needs of their residents, as well as the evacuees from other islands who are sheltering in Puerto Rico.
- Catholic Charities is one of the major charities in Puerto Rico. Their local organization in San Juan is collecting donations, and 100% of all funds raised are used directly for disaster relief.
- Americares is collecting funds for emergency medical supplies and medical outreach. Charity Navigator lists Americares as a 4-star charity which uses only 3% of funds raised. for administrative purposes.
- Direct Relief is working with the Puerto Rico Department of Health to provide disaster relief of various kinds. In particular, they are working to get insulin to dialysis patients.
- ConPRmetidos, a local organization, hoped to raise $150,000 for the most immediate needs. As of this writing, they have raised $431,685. They list their specific uses for the funds at the link at the beginning of this sentence, and they commit 100% of funds raised to those actions.
