Don’t Just Pray for Puerto Rico

Five Things You Can Do Right Now

Last night we had a call to action event for Puerto Rico in NYC. The goal was a conversation about what’s happening on the island.

Here are the takeaways:

1. The situation is dire. Katrina cost us $65 billion to rebuild. Estimates for Puerto Rico are $95 billion.
2. Electricity is out for the vast majority of Puerto Ricans. Full stop. It could up to a year before it’s back on. It’s going to be a candlelight Christmas.
3. The federal government response and the government of Puerto Rico response amounts to abandonment of American citizens.
4. This will get worse. From patients who can’t get dialysis to children who may perish for lack of drinking water, the crisis will not abate.
5. Corporations are stepping up. In the absence of enough government cargo planes, we have JetBlue. In the absence of a supply chain for distribution of goods, we have Walmart. We need more to rebuild the electrical grid.

So what is next? Right now, you can do five things.

1. Watch the above video and share it immediately via all your social media channels.
2. To affect change on the ground, please give funds to Walmart. We can then deploy those funds into outcomes on the ground. Head to Walmart.com and give at least $1 right now to the combined efforts.
3. To get more planes going, note JetBlue’s 100x35 plan. It is 35 ways to help Puerto Rico over the next 100 days. To affect outcomes, please give at least $1 to JetBlue’s campaign. https://www.globalgiving.org/jetblue/
4. In the absence of food provisions, we have the Food Bank and City Harvest. In the absence of community organizing, we have the Hispanic Federation. Please consider giving.
5. If you are concerned or outraged about the lack of federal government response, please see the below video from the Puerto Rican congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and share it via social media. Our Army corps could help rebuild the electrical grid right now if our Commander-in-Chief would say the word.

Thank you. Our work is just beginning. What Americans do is we come to each other’s aid. These are American citizens. Let’s all do our part.