It’s been practically two weeks since Hurricane Fiona ripped via Puerto Rico on Sept. 17, dropping greater than 30 inches of rain on the island and inflicting at the very least three deaths. Presently, a whole lot of hundreds of individuals are nonetheless with out energy or ingesting water.
As of Wednesday (Sept. 28), round 345,000 clients in Puerto Rico had been with out electrical energy, in response to PowerOutage.Us and printed by The New York Instances. That’s down from the thousands and thousands who had been with out energy within the week after Hurricane Fiona struck. The devastation comes simply 5 years after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, leaving 80 % of the island’s electrical system broken for months.
Extra from Billboard
Billboard is supporting catastrophe reduction and restoration efforts from the hurricane in Puerto Rico by backing the American Purple Cross with a donation utilizing proceeds from Billboard Latin Music Week. Model companions, artists and executives had been invited to donate, with Billboard’s father or mother firm, Penske Media Company, matching donations as much as $50,000.
Billboard has additionally reached out to a lot of music executives, artists and creatives, asking them to share their ideas on how greatest to help Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona and the place to donate. See under for his or her responses, in addition to Romeo Santos‘ onstage donation throughout Latin Music Week and social media posts from stars together with Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and extra.
Ricky Martin
Romeo Santos
The King of Bachata will donate $100,000 for Puerto Rico hurricane reduction, he introduced throughout his Famous person Q&A at Billboard Latin Music Week after studying that Billboard had partnered with the Purple Cross to lift funds for Puerto Rico. Santos, who was born in New York to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mom, heard about Billboard‘s donation efforts whereas he waited to take the stage for his Famous person Q&A on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier than taking the stage, he knowledgeable his staff that he was in for $20,000. Then, inside minutes, he advised Billboard‘s Leila Cobo that he would up that sum to $100,000. “Puerto Rico has given me much more than $20,000,” Santos mentioned onstage. “Let’s step it up. Let’s give $100,000!” he mentioned to loud applause. The quantity will embody $30,000 pledged by his enterprise companion, Artie Pabon. Watch his Famous person Q&A under.
Jennifer Lopez
Alfred Marroquin, music video director (J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro)
Hurricane Fiona has been utterly catastrophic to Puerto Rico. It has left hundreds of individuals on the island with out housing, electrical energy, and ingesting water. The group GEM is inserting itself into the disaster and has extraordinary expertise with difficult logistics on the island. After Hurricane Maria, they executed dozens of difficult missions, distributed thousands and thousands in assist & introduced 52 planes in & out of the island. I’ve donated to them and have seen what they’ve been in a position to do on the bottom. It’s exceptional and it’s saving lives.
They settle for donations, in-person drop-offs, and volunteers. Discover extra data right here. Keep in mind that any dimension donation could make a significant distinction. All of it provides up.
Alex DePersia, artist supervisor (Pharrell, Gracie Adams), Laffitte Administration Group
It’s essential that folks within the states do not forget that the individuals of Puerto Rico are fellow residents of our nation…. It’s on all of us to lift consciousness for what is occurring there and notably for the music business to make use of its voice. Loudly.
All through historical past, the Puerto Rican individuals have contributed in so some ways – from the humanities and sports activities to service within the navy. It’s now time for the everybody else to face up for them on this time of want. After being so compromised 5 years in the past by Hurricane Maria, these crushing rains and winds coupled with the latest earthquakes has left our brothers and sisters hurting — particularly because it issues the necessity for ingesting water, energy and the crippling impact on their farms. Please proceed to lift consideration for his or her wants and donate what you may.
Cody Verdecias, vp of A&R, Atlantic Information
What is occurring in Puerto Rico is a travesty. A tragic time of the yr we as individuals have sadly skilled for many years now. The resilience of the Puerto Rican individuals will as soon as once more overcome this tragedy. Nonetheless, I really feel It’s vital to zero in and provides assist to native grass roots organizations and people who find themselves on the bottom there serving to. These are organizations which are feeding individuals and getting them roofs. The principle factor is water which is tough to get, and lots of people nonetheless don’t have water. In moments like these it’s vital that assist instantly supplied to locals in the neighborhood may have a stronger affect than assist superficially disseminated via establishments.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Billboard