What is a good place to donate to help Puerto Rico?
I’d specifically like to make a small donation, to do my little bit to help re-build.
If you trust PBS, here’s their list.
Just go to Puerto Rico. Plan to spend your next vacation there. Or even a long weekend soon. Pack a few things you can donate. That will help a lot.
Or give the money to kayaker. he is going there in the spring. I am sure he can find a good home for your help.
Please tell me you’re joking. Much of the island’s infrastructure has been obliterated. There is probably not going to be reliable electricity for the next several months.
He probably wasn’t joking. He very seldom does that.
To be charitable, he probably just didn’t think very hard before posting.
Planes are still landing at the airport. Some hotels and restaurants are open . I’ve vacationed in plenty of places with electrical interruptions. Your dollars to reinvigorate the tourism infrastructure will help more than any handouts.
We are not talking about “electrical interruptions,” we are talking about there being no electricity whatsoever on most of the island, and much of the remainder being provided by gas generators, for which fuel is in short supply. Half the island has no potable water. Food is extremely scarce. The airport is operating at a tenth of its normal capacity. If you go as a tourist to Puerto Rico now, you are taking vital resources from people who live there and the relief workers who are coming to put the island back together. Check back in a few months.
I went to that article (which has other good info besides what groups to donate to) and picked:
http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/
I went with these folks.
I was interested in figuring out the best organization doing work in Puerto Rico to donate to, so I searched out this Thread.
I’ve already followed the above links, but as it is now 8 months later, I’m wondering if anyone has any info on what organizations have really been showing an ongoing dedication in Puerto Rico.
Anybody have any personal insight or experience?
Although poo-pooed earlier, actually spending vacation dollars there is a great way to boost the economy. We were in St Martin 4 months after Irma. The weather was perfect, and although the island was still a mess, we had a great time. We also cried a lot. Not coincidentally, we spent more money then we usually do on vacation. My gf brought her yearly xmas bonus along and handed out cash to random people during our visit.
Many (most?) small businesses just cannot afford insurance for hurricane damage. When that damage occurs, tourist dollars are needed to rebuild, but those tourist dollars lag temporally, meaning people cannot afford building supplies (if they are even available).
Go to the Caribbean, and spend as much as you can!
I would second this but plan on how you end up helping and not taking resources. Some churches run missionary trips there, but if you go this route make sure you are able to make a difference and not just ‘feel good’ travel. Make sure the plan makes sense for what you want to accomplish.
Also more to this posting, AirBnB has recently pushed rentals for PR to get more people vacationing there.
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From :
Spending your visitor dollars is always a good way to assist a troubled local economy, be it Puerto Rico or the USVI or any other affected location. As for who is being active and effective in getting actual relief on-scene, alas, having been relocated off-island 7+ months ago to work with the federal side of public sector rebuilding, I am no longer up to speed as to what non-governmental entities are still on the ground getting things done in mid-2018, AFAIK there has never been set up any sort of system for monitoring and tracking how the NG sector is doing. That is one thing to consider in view of how the various continuing NG relief efforts are not really in a “unified command” – so, say, UNIDOS goes to town X with help A, Save the Children goes to town Y with help B, and so forth.
Many of the continuing needs are complicated such as getting people back to work (which requires businesses to reopen which in turn means getting restart capital) and permanent long-term housing issues (since emergency repairs and subsidies were just that, emergency repairs and subsidies – full, permanent rebuilding or subsidized permanent-residence are not FEMA’s bailiwick), restoring local health care access (because professionals themselves got displaced) or are perforce government’s duty to handle, such as the power infrastructure, flood protections and so on.
It has been exhausting and overwhelming and does not seem to ever end, even within my own niche. So whatever form or means is chosen by those willing to help is appreciated.