What You Can Do to Help Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands

UPDATE, 9/30/17: Thank you everyone who has made calls and donated. The Jones Act was been waived for a temporary period of 10 days. But Puerto Rico needs more time. Keep calling to demand that the Jones Act waiver be extended.

Hurricanes have devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and concerns are growing about a humanitarian crisis. YOU CAN HELP–call your members of Congress today!

The images from the Caribbean are shocking. Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (both US territories!) are in dire need of water, food, electricity and other necessities. Help has been slow in coming. Now, fears of a humanitarian crisis are growing.

There are 2 things you can do right away to help.

1. Call your members of Congress. (Not sure who your representatives are? Find out here.) Your talking points:

• You want your representative to introduce a hurricane relief bill for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, just like the one for Hurricane Harvey in Texas
• Current relief efforts are not enough. The devastated islands need more resources, more quickly.
• The Jones Act needs to be temporarily suspended for Puerto Rico, just like it was for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts — it makes all goods entering the island cost significantly more, which will hamper Puerto Rico’s recovery. (On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security denied Puerto Rico’s request for a waiver).

2. Contribute to relief efforts with a donation. 

• The first lady of Puerto Rico and many major companies have come together to create the Unidos por Puerto Rico fundraising campaign. You can donate funds here.
• You can volunteer with or donate emergency supplies through http://www.diasporicans.com/
• You can now donate funds through One America Appeal, the organization founded by all 5 of the living former US presidents after Hurricane Harvey. Relief for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be channeled through Unidos por Puerto Rico and the Community Foundation for the Virgin Islands. You can choose to donate money to relief efforts in all four locations (Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands), or you can choose to have your donation go to one specific location.

LEARN MORE

• About the Jones Act