People here in Connecticut with ties to Puerto Rico are trying to help communities on the island after a fire lead to power outages for more than a million people.
Thousands are in the dark after a fire at a power station in Puerto Rico late Wednesday.
Schools and government offices were forced to close on Thursday.
"Right now we are bringing water to all communities that don't have," Marcos Gilberto Valentín Flores, the mayor of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, said.
Sabana Grande was impacted by the outage.
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"All of the gas stations are full right now like Maria. It's the same story like Maria," Valentín Flores said.
The mayor has been in talks with the CICD's Puerto Rican Day parade Hartford Chapter who responded to Hurricane Maria in 2017, a disaster that devastated the Northeastern Caribbean.
"We just called an emergency meeting with our committee to discuss what we can do if this thing stays longer," CICD President Sammy Vega said.
During the Category 5 hurricane, the Hartford chapter flew over supplies like water, food, clothing and hygiene products.
Many Puerto Ricans here in Connecticut are preparing for the possibility of having to do that again.
In the meantime, they say supporting the U.S. government in aiding Puerto Rico is the most logical way to help the island that continues to suffer from power issues.
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“What can we do? Basically keep supporting the government. We need to support the government in funding. I’m not sure they have enough funding to fix the entire grid, but just keep supporting Washington. I was in contact with Senator Blumenthal and he’s pushing for more funding," Vega said.
If you'd like to donate to the CICD'S natural disaster fund, you can head to their website.
