Former New Jersey resident Carlos Ortiz speaks with NJ Spotlight News via Zoom and shares cellphone footage of Hurricane Fiona’s wrath in the town of Santa Isabel, which was hit hard. Ortiz who grew up in Elizabeth, moved to Puerto Rico in 2004. He is now volunteering to help in the neighboring town of Salinas, which he said saw even more devastation. He and state representative Estrella Martinez Soto transformed the recreational facility in Salinas into a hub for donations.
“Right now, we need electricity. We need diesel. We’ve got trucks and manpower to move stuff but don’t have the diesel to get everything moving. We have hospitals that aren’t up and running because the generators need diesel,” Ortiz said.
Elizabeth Councilman Carlos Torres, president of the Puerto Rican Alliance of Elizabeth, says the city received an overwhelming amount of donations at its Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday, which was repurposed into a Fiona relief effort.
