On January 7th a 6.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Puerto Rico causing destruction, forcing people to evacuate their homes in search of safer grounds. The devastating event left many people homeless, without electricity and running water. The earthquake has also destroyed one of Puerto Rico’s most iconic tourist attractions the Punta Ventana.
Since the event has taken place many people have also left the island and have settled among the east coast to live with family. After nearly two years the people of Puerto Rico are still reminded of the destruction that they’ve faced during Hurricane Maria and are worried that they might face the same destruction or even worse, because unlike hurricanes earthquakes can hit without warning.
Following the 6.4 magnitude earthquake there has been a total of 13 earthquakes which have affected mainly the southern region of the island. After a total of 3 weeks only 20% of the island’s schools have passed inspection and were deemed safe to reopen. Education Secretary Eligio Hernández noted that 51 schools will be starting classes in early February. Although school and government officials are still deciding on what to do with students who are not able to return to their schools. For now, none of the schools in the Southern region of the island have been deemed safe.
The devastation has also affected families here in the states as family members worry about their loved ones and have been seeking out ways in which they can help. Organizations have been teaming up to raise funds to order humanitarian aid for earthquake victims of Puerto Rico. Somos Puerto Rico Tampa & Course of Action are two of the many non-profit organizations that have teamed up to show their support, and many Latino/a business owners have also put on events raise money to send to Puerto Rico as well.
To learn more about Somos Puerto Rico Tampa & Course of Action click the link below:
For a list of fundraising events happening in the metropolitan area dedicated to the earthquake survivors of Puerto Rico click here: