(Photo : Reuters)

Five local groups are now helping Puerto Rico after they were hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. 

Puerto Rico was hit by its most devastating earthquake of the century on Tuesday. These series of earthquakes destroyed tourist attractions, caused an island power outage, collapsed homes, and it also injured nine people and the death of one person. 

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the impact of the earthquake was felt throughout Puerto Rico, but it mostly rocked the southern coast. The U.S. Geological Survey added that more than 950 smaller earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded since Dec. 31.

Remezcla reports that Gov. Wanda Marquez declared on Tuesday a state of emergency to address the problem by giving the government the fiscal flexibility to respond quickly to the damages of the calamity. Meanwhile, both Republicans and Democrats urged President Trump to give aid to the archipelago. It can be remembered that Puerto Rico is still on the process of recovering after they were hit by Hurricane Irma and Maria in 2017, multiple political scandals, and a multi-billion dollar debt crisis. 

The following are some of the impacts of earthquakes:

  • The two largest power plants in Puerto Rico were damaged and this affected two-thirds of the island.
  • The largest hospitals located in the capital of San Juan lose electricity.
  • 300,000 people were affected by not having access to clean water.
  • It destroyed a school in the southwest municipality of Guanica.
  • It destroyed the natural wonder and popular tourist attraction, the Punta Ventana
  • Destroyed a church that was built in the late 1800s

Chuck Watson and Enriki Research told a news outlet that the destruction and power failures could amount to $3.1 billion, while the top officials of the archipelago will soon to assess the total damage of the earthquake. 

Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans try to be resilient while they are still in the process of recovering from Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the uncertainty of the earthquakes. Moreover, while waiting for assistance from its government and the U.S. government, some groups support the Puerto Ricans. Some of the groups are as follows:

1. Ayuda Legal PR

A non-profit organization that helps low-income people and communities in Puerto Rico. The group is composed of lawyers, legal experts, and law students who began to give legal assistance before and after the disaster. They focus particularly on justice, fair housing, and fair recovery. Puerto Ricans are now in need of a group that will support them in terms of rebuilding their houses, businesses, healthcare and more.

2. Brigada Solidaria del Oeste

This group was created after the Hurricanes Irma and Maria that hit the west coast of the island. They are composed of individuals from various organizations. This time, the group speaks with the locals and assesses the needs of the community who were hit by earthquakes.

3. Casa Pueblo

The group is a community project that was established in 1980 to address climate change. They advocate for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable Puerto Rico. Moreover, the archipelago is affected by climate change more than anyone else in the world. 

4. Correa Family Foundation

The foundation was created by the Puerto Rican baseball player Carlos Correa. The foundation supports low-income and ill-children. The group is now raising funds for the recovery of the destroyed schools specifically in Guanica.

5. World Central Kitchen & Comedores Sociales de Puerto Rico 

This is a non-profit organization that is headed by Spanish chef Jose Andres. It can be recalled that after the Hurricane Maria, they served more than 3 million meals. This time, they head towards the southern coast of Puerto Rico where they will be serving the affected communities.