Brother's Brother Sending Truckloads Of Medical Supplies To Puerto Rico
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A Pittsburgh charity is sending truckloads of medical supplies to the island of Puerto Rico.
This comes after the island's governor officially raised the death toll from Hurricane Maria from 64 to 2,975.
Today, Brother's Brother is filling a container with medical supplies, operating tables, wheelchairs and more.
Once filled, they'll drive it to Baltimore, put it on a ship and it will go all the way down to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"At this point, I think our total is nearing 90 tractor-trailers. Supplies, equipment, food, water," Neal Walker, director of humanitarian aid for Brother's Brother, said.
Walker said this will be the first shipment from Pittsburgh in several weeks
"We have communication with some of our other recipient groups. Say, we have these items, would you need them? They say yes, they say no," Walker said.
Luke Hingson runs Brother's Brother, which was started by his father in 1958. He just returned from Puerto Rico last week.
"So, there's a lot of improvement, a lot of feeling that things are getting better. Six months ago, it was a place of absolute despair. There's a feeling of hope," Hingson said.
The container filled with medical donations will help hospitals and clinics in the town of Aguadilla.
"Just imagine the poorest clinic you've been in, in Pittsburgh or in a small rural area, somewhere within 100 miles of here. That, for them, is a really good place," Hingson said.
Thanks to the generosity of Pittsburghers, Ozzy Samad said the Puerto Ricans can look forward to a better time.
"Very touched by Pittsburgh. It's genuine, you can see it in their eyes, you can see it in their faces. The connection with Roberto Clemente. It's absolutely unreal. I couldn't say enough about it," Samad said.
These donations are made possible by the generosity of local hospitals in Pittsburgh.
If you're interested in helping out, you can donate on their website here.