Central Floridians are offering help after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Puerto Rico this week. Hurricane Maria prompted many Puerto Ricans to move close to family in Central Florida.
Marucci Guzman of Latino Leadership, an advocacy group, said some still were recovering from the Category 5 hurricane. Some just had returned to the island when the earthquake struck. This earthquake was the strongest to strike the island in 100 years.
Guzman said one such friend posted about the earthquake on social media.
"She actually posted a picture of her daughter which broke my heart. Her daughter chose to go to sleep with a helmet because if something happened in the middle of the night, she figured that the helmet might help her survive," she said. "When she posted that, I sent her a text and I’m like, ‘Oh My Gosh. I’m in tears in Orlando, like just come back to Orlando. What are you doing?’"
Guzman said her friend lives on the northern part of the island and is OK. However, for those in need, Latino Leadership is collecting tents and cots to send to a nonprofit in Puerto Rico.
"We have five different locations that they can drop them off at, whether here in Orlando or Titusville. We even have somebody in Lake Worth," she said. "So, we are putting those things together and making sure that we can connect with families. We have a nonprofit that we’ve identified on the island in Ponce. They’re collecting everything that we send over to then be able to give out."
Guzman said the group plans to deliver those items next week, but will continue collecting as long as they can get the items to Puerto Rico.
To see where the drop off locations are, go to Latino Leadership’s Facebook Page.
