Chicago’s Puerto Rican community mobilizing for Hurricane Fiona relief

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicagoan Lilliana Ortiz flew to Puerto Rico final week to assist her mother put together for the storm.

“We boarded up home windows and we simply remained inside. We at the moment are simply coming exterior and there are loads of down timber. Some rivers are overflowing,” she stated.

Ortiz stated they misplaced energy Sunday afternoon.

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Middle Government Director Omar Torres-Kortright stated his spouse is in Puerto Rico to assist look after her ailing father.

WATCH: Former Chicagoan in Puerto Rico speaks about devastating storm

He stated he is apprehensive not for his household, but in addition for folks on the island.

“I’m on this second the place there’s simply so many feelings and so many issues which can be going by my thoughts,” Torres-Kortright stated.

Simply earlier than Hurricane Fiona struck over the weekend, former Illinois congressman Luis Guiterrez boarded a beforehand deliberate flight to Chicago.

“I used to be on one of many final flights off of the island on Saturday morning,” he stated. “It is a very devastating storm in Puerto Rico.”

Fiona struck nearly 5 years to the day that Hurricane Maria hit the island. The Class 4 storm destroyed Puerto Rico’s energy grid and precipitated almost 3,000 deaths.

On Sunday afternoon, Fiona, a Class 1 storm, took out the whole electrical system.

“We have now to have actual conversations about constructing an infrastructure that may maintain itself,” stated Jessie Fuentes with The Puerto Rican Agenda.

Sachayra Cintron, a Humboldt Park pastry store proprietor, moved her household again to Chicago proper earlier than Maria hit because of the fragile energy grid.

She’s been making an attempt to achieve household and buddies in Puerto Rico.

“I’ve obtained one or two textual content messages simply stating that they are OK,” Cintron stated.

Puerto Rican organizations in Chicago are engaged on a plan of motion to assist the people who find themselves struggling.

“After Hurricane Maria we put collectively a marketing campaign referred to as three R’s for Puerto Rico: rescue, aid and rebuild. We’re able to activate any element of that marketing campaign,” Fuentes stated.