Chantel Rodriguez – Staff Writer

cvr5570@psu.edu

Governor Tom Wolf initiated two members of Pennsylvania Task Force 1 (PATF-1) Urban
Search & Rescue (US&R) deployed to Puerto Rico to aid response operations as category 3
Hurricane Fiona made landfall.
“We will work with our federal partners to closely monitor conditions on the island and provide
whatever support we can to the people there as parts of Puerto Rico are still devastated from
Hurricane Maria,” Gov. Tom Wolf stated.
PATF-1 is one of 28 sections of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System and is
a national reserve that can be activated to deploy to events everywhere in the country. The
Philadelphia Fire Department sponsors the team.
Ken Pagurek is a Philadelphia Fire Department captain and program supervisor for PA Task
Force 1. They are prepared to remain in Puerto Rico for up to two weeks. "There are reports of
significant damage: bridges out, power outages” said Pagurek before his departure to San Juan.
“We will go there and effect rescues, evacuate people as needed,” Pagurek said. “I hope I can go
down there and represent the citizens of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth appropriately,”
Pagurek stated.
Hurricane Fiona caused an island-wide power blackout, heavy rain, winds, and landslide damage
to eastern and southern Puerto Rico. “The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” Puerto
Rican Governor Pedro Pierluisi said in a press conference.
Puerto Rico has never fully recovered from Hurricane Maria, a category four storm that killed
3,000 people in 2017. Tarps were still being used to protect homes on the island ravaged by
Hurricane Maria, even five years later.
Many are highly concerned for the elderly who live alone and the many children who need life-
sustaining machines for their health. Most people are still without electricity or running water in
many communities.
As of right now, there are no local areas set up directly for donations to Puerto Rico, but these
two organizations are taking donations online to help communities in Puerto Rico:
Direct Relief

Direct Relief is in this emergency’s “immediate and urgent aid” phase. The website mentions that
the association connects with local health suppliers to find medical supplies and has emergency
staff stationed in Puerto Rico.
As of last Tuesday, Direct Relief has sent a team to a town in Puerto Rico to provide a generator
to a family whose daughter is reliant on a tracheostomy to live.
“Our help is comprehensive, from individual families to nonprofit organizations, and we
collaborate with government agencies to ensure that the call chain is preserved, and
infrastructures remain operational,” Dr. Michelle Carlo, medical adviser for Direct Relief.
Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Federation offers essential emergency relief services and resources to communities
impacted by Hurricane Fiona. The Hispanic Federation has locations in New York, Florida,
North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and other states. The objective is to “empower and advance” the
Hispanic population and Latino organizations in education, health, immigration, the
environment, and other areas.
“Because Puerto Rico is still rebuilding from the damage of Maria, the flooding and power
outages caused by Fiona are already far more severe and life-threatening than they should be,”
the Hispanic Federation states on the donation page.