Jersey City and Hoboken officials are coordinating relief efforts for families devastated by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
In Jersey City, officials are hosting a joint effort for both hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and earthquake victims in Mexico. The donation drive will be held tomorrow, on Grove Street between Newark Ave and First Street, between 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Councilman-at-Large Daniel Rivera will be hosting.
“With the island without power and very little news being delivered, our Puerto Rican community here in Jersey City wants to get to action as quickly as possible to help loved ones and those affected by this hurricane,†he said in a statement.
“The devastation is absolute and we saw this as an opportunity to kick off our relief mission as we all continue to pray for the people of Puerto Rico and Mexico.â€
“The Jersey City community is one that always comes together to support those in need and we will be working together to help Puerto Rico and Mexico,” added Mayor Steven Fulop.
Items sought for donation include bottled water, non-perishable food items, batteries, flashlights, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, diapers, first aid kits and phone chargers.
Meanwhile, in Hoboken, 4th Ward Councilman Ruben Ramos announced in a Facebook post that a partnership has been formed with Puerto Rican Family Institute Inc. of New York City, the Hoboken Puerto Rican Cultural Committee and Hoboken Housing Authority to aid victims of Hurricane Maria.
“Hours will be Friday, Saturday, Monday & Tuesday from 10-6..hopefully airport will be open on Wednesday so we can have supplies on airplane on that day and we’ll reorganize from that point. The more volunteers we have the more hours we’ll operate,” Ramos wrote.
“An airline that will not be named at this time will transport goods from NYC to Puerto Rico for us. We will need volunteers to help collect and box goods at 220 Adams Street and volunteers to transport items from Hoboken to NYC.”
As of this writing, at least 13 people were killed by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, while the Mexican earthquake has claimed the lives of 286 people thus far.