Within the next 24 hours, a Miami humanitarian group will send a first shipment of aid to the victims of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, while in other parts of the state campaigns to collect basic necessities for them are multiplying.
As reported by channel NBC 6, three members of the Urban Search and Rescue team of Miami-Dade County firefighters have already traveled to Puerto Rico, which is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Maria plunged into another disaster.
This team will support local first responders with the integration of all search and rescue teams as well as logistics.
Meanwhile, the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) announced that its volunteers are already focused on preparing the first shipment for Puerto Ricans and Dominicans affected by Fiona, which made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday and in the Dominican Republic on Monday.
The call "Island of the charm" suffered a power outage after the passage of Fiona not yet resolved, in addition to other damage from floods and landslides, which have also been recorded in the Dominican Republic.
Emily Fullmer, director of operations for Global Empowerment Mission, told NBC 6 that when they helped Puerto Rico in 2017 in the Maria disaster, they strengthened their partnerships with local organizations.
"That allows us to act much faster and quicker with this disaster and thus we will move faster than we could have done then and we will get the goods into the hands of people in all areas of Puerto Rico."said.
According to GEM volunteers, generators and water purification systems are needed in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic above all, and they called on Miamians to donate these devices.
Organizations of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans residing in Florida are in turn collecting help for their compatriots affected by the hurricane.
The Somos Puerto Rico organization from Tampa (southwest Florida) has opened an account on the GoFundMe platform to buy flashlights and mosquito repellent and send them to the island.
According to the WTPS channel in Tampa, another organization, Boricuas de Corazón Inc., already has people in the "island of charm" who is running a shelter where basic necessities are delivered to those affected by Fiona.
Similar initiatives have emerged in the Orlando area, where a large community of Puerto Ricans has been concentrated since MarÃa.