Minnesotans rally to help Puerto Rican friends and family
A 6.4 earthquake Tuesday has left the U.S. territory trembling
Minnesotans with friends and family in Puerto Rico are working to send aid in the wake of several massive earthquakes.
A magnitude 6.4 quake on Tuesday killed one person, injured nine others and knocked out power across the U.S. territory. The governor has declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.
The Tuesday morning quake was the strongest of a series of temblors that occurred in the past few days.
Artist Maria Isa Perez-Hedges is an adviser for "El Fondo Boricua" — a donor-advised fund of the St. Paul Foundation. The fund was created to help Puerto Ricans in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017, but is now including earthquake relief in its efforts.
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Perez-Hedges says hurricane recovery work was still ongoing when a series of earthquakes hit on Monday and Tuesday.
"People are sleeping outside in the streets, people are reliving the nightmares of [Hurricane] Maria,” said Perez-Hedges. “But [they’re] also saying this is worse, because you can prepare as much as possible for a hurricane but you don't know what to expect from these shakings.”
Puerto Rico is still waiting on some of the federal aid promised after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Perez-Hedges says she and other Minnesotans are working directly with organizations and grass-roots leadership on the island to organize relief efforts.
"So right now, word is we need water supplies and we need medical attention,” said Perez-Hedges. “There's a woman who wrote to me saying how can she get insulin, because her insulin has gone bad."
Perez-Hedges says the most severe earthquake damage hit the south of the island.
“I'm hearing from family members of mine that also live in the North that are dealing with no water. It's an everyday struggle since after Hurricane Maria, so this just put everything back in reverse.”
The U.S. Geologic survey has recorded more than 950 smaller earthquakes on or near the U.S. territory since New Year's Eve.