
Earthquake victims in COVID
An earthquake of 6.4 magnitude was felt in Puerto Rico January 7th, 2020. The epicenter was near Guanica PR which also happens to be the poorest town in the island. Over a thousand people lost their homes and had to live in tents. Most small businesses in town suffered building damage and had to close. Elizabeth and I had the opportunity to volunteer at one of the camps that were set up. Most of those people have moved out of the camps but are still living in tents near their homes. FEMA has been no help. They assessed damaged homes unfit for living and have been offering people 3,000 to 5,000 dollars. Working with a non-profit, BSO, we were getting ready to build some modular homes. These plans have been put on hold because of COVID19 concerns. Most people in Guanica, a town with unemployment rate of 60% in normal times, lost their jobs after the earthquake. Now with COVID the situation has gotten worse as people are asked to stay home.
We just got word that a neighborhood organization we collaborated with in the Guanica camps has been providing food for close to
100 people and I am sure there are many more that could use help. These people have been through Hurricane Maria, the island bankruptcy crisis, the earthquake and now COVID. Their ability to make a decent wage has been severely curtailed. I am trying to raise funds so that 821 (the neighborhood organization) may continue to provide food and basic items until the COVID emergency is over. Please donate what you can. I know the people in this organization from having worked together at the camps and trust that they will put the money to good use. The effort is run by volunteers and all the money goes directly to families in need. Thank you!