'We are there for Puerto Rico': Houston community gets ready to help following Hurricane Fiona
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Javier Ferrer is a native Puerto Rican who lives in Houston.
He's been able to communicate with his loved ones back home, but says his native land has taken a big blow from Hurricane Fiona.
RELATED: Hurricane Fiona makes landfall in Dominican Republic after knocking out power in Puerto Rico
"There's a lot of people on the entire island who don't have electricity or water," Ferrer said. "There's a lot of flooding everywhere."
Ferrer is also the producer of the Houston Puerto Rican and Cuban Festival, which is scheduled to take place on Oct. 15 in Midtown.
He said festival organizers are ready to help and send supplies back home if they're needed.
"Every time there's a crisis on the island of Puerto Rico or Cuba, we are always present," Ferrer said. "We are there for Puerto Rico."
Back in 2017, festival organizers, a group called Texas United for Puerto Rico, and members of Houston's business community banded together to get supplies to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
"We sent half a million pounds (in 2017) of necessity items to Puerto Rico," Ferrer said.
SEE ALSO: Hurricane Maria: How rural Utuado, Puerto Rico, survived isolated after the storm
The American Red Cross told ABC13 they're also on standby should Puerto Rico, which is still feeling the impacts of Maria, need assistance.
"There's still a lot of people with their homes that don't have a roof. They still have a blue tarp donated from FEMA in 2017," Ferrer explained. "There's a lot of new damage, and that's what we're facing right now."
Additionally, The Collective of Puerto Ricans in Houston will be taking donations on Sept. 20 and 22 at 4555 Brittmoore Road.
They will be taking them from 9-11 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. and are looking to collect water, small water purification devices, first aid kits, medicine, solar lamps, and phone chargers.
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