On Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Puerto Rico, and the aftermath is devastating. According to ABC News, the U.S. territory was faced with nearly 18 hours of uninterrupted torrential rain, which meant mudslides and flash flooding across the island territory. If you’re wondering how to help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona — but you don’t have a lot to give — there are plenty of organizations that’ll accept smaller donations, or donations in the form of time or action. Here are the ways you can help, even if you’re broke.
The Category 1 storm hit Puerto Rico early Monday morning, and left a trail a destruction in its path. According to the BBC, not only did wind speeds reach a high of 86 MPH, but the storm caused a series of series of landslides and catastrophic flooding across the island as well. As of Tuesday, Sept. 20, around 80% of the island was without electricity, according to USA Today, and two-thirds had no running water. The hurricane also brings up troubling memories: Fiona hit almost five years to the day after Puerto Rico endured its worst storm in history, Hurricane Maria, which hit the island on Sept. 20, 2017, and killed roughly 3,000 people, per the Associated Press. At least four people have been reported dead due to Hurricane Fiona, and as of Tuesday evening the storm continues to move across the Caribbean, according to ABC News.
With crisis at hand, you don’t have to have deep pockets to help the hundred of thousands of Puerto Ricans affected by the tragedy. Several Puerto Rico-based mutual aid funds and nonprofits are accepting other forms of donations, or planning out donations towards relief efforts to make your money stretch a lot father.