Local Woman Organizing Effort To Get Help To Hurricane-Ravaged Island Off Puerto Rico Coast
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Thousands of people on a small remote island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico are among those coping with the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. A former Philadelphian who has called the island home for about a year is involved in an effort get help there.
Amy Gordon is a freelance travel writer, she is a grad of UPenn's Wharton, and she worked in Philadelphia for several years until moving to Vieques, Puerto Rico.
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She was on the island when Maria hit and was able to get a seat on a private plane a couple of days later to get back to the states where she is getting the word out about the dire need for help back home.
"As hard as it is to get materials and help to Puerto Rico, it's way harder to get them on Vieques. So my hope is that getting the word out will encourage people to contact their senator, their congressmen, anyone you can to pressure them to get help to Vieques. There is 9,000 American citizens that are living in a very volatile situation," said Gordon.
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Gordon is among 13 people coordinating an effort to get private planes to the island, collecting satellite phones, and purchasing and deploying life saving supplies.
If you would like to help there is a GoFundMe page set up at: https://www.gofundme.com/viequeslove.
