On January 21, Attorney José Hernández, HITN’s Director of Operations in Puerto Rico, participated in delivering supplies to people affected by the earthquake wave which shook the southern part of the island on January 6 and 7. The event consisted of visiting official shelters in the municipalities of Peñuelas and Guanica; as well as, several neighborhoods which were severely affected. Toiletries were handed out, along with food, diapers for children and adults, cleaning products, toilet paper, and disinfectants, among other things. HITN participated in the delivery along with the Ladies Civic Club of Puerto Rico, a private non-profit entity, with almost one hundred years in existence, dedicated to philanthropy activities, for the benefit of the neediest communities in the country.

Since December 28th, almost two thousand aftershocks of varying intensity have been felt and the effects in the southern municipalities is virtually constant. Thousands of people in the most affected villages are sleeping outdoors or in camping tents, because they are afraid of aftershocks which occur mostly at night. Authorities have ruled out that possibility through studies and statistics. Preliminarily, it has been estimated that there are around 7,470 homes and buildings that have totally and partially collapsed or are not safe to use.

“As we did after Hurricane Maria, HITN is committed to the well-being of the population of Puerto Rico, and we always say, “Present!” to help when situations like the one currently affecting us occur. People from the rest of the country have extended themselves above and beyond with help for the residents of southern Puerto Rico. Now we have to address other problems that have arisen as a result of the situation, such as the impact on the mental health of the population. We will continue to help in the recovery of the country.”