Chicago Will Be To Puerto Rico What Houston Was To New Orleans: Rep. Gutierrez
By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 2, 2017 5:20PM
Getty Images / Photo by Alex Wroblewski / Damaged homes in the La Perla neighborhood the day after Hurricane Maria made landfall on September 21, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Officials hope to see that Chicago becomes to Puerto Rico, in the wake of Hurricane Maria, what Houston was to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, in terms of widespread resettlement support, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) said at a press conference on Monday morning with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other officials. In addition to assisting evacuees, officials will also be sending resources to the hurricane-ravaged island this week.
The Chicago Fire Department is sending 23 personnel on Wednesday to deliver supplies to the island. The crew will bring medical supplies, such as defibrillators and stretchers, plus communications equipment and other resources, Emanuel said. Food, water and clothes will also be delivered.
23 Chicago Fire Department personnel are heading to Puerto Rico on Wed with defibrillators, stretchers and supplies. #Maria #ChicagoisOne pic.twitter.com/qxWayGxPLu
— Mayor Rahm Emanuel (@ChicagosMayor) October 2, 2017
Emanuel did not elaborate on details of the "responsive resettlement" plan, but said that Alicia Tate-Nadeau, Executive Director of the city's Pffice of Emergency Management & Communications, would help coordinate efforts to provide housing, education options and health care to evacuees. The resettlement will be paid by FEMA, Gutierrez said.
The resettlement effort would be a long-term concern, Emanuel stressed. The outreach is "not going to be a one-week, one-month or even one-year effort," he said.
Chicago has already received 1600 "personnel or families" from Puerto Rico, Jose Santiago, Fire Commissioner of CFD, said.
Convening a meeting with @RepGutierrez at Chicago City Hall on Puerto Rico relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/f1JeFiQjqs
— Mayor Rahm Emanuel (@ChicagosMayor) October 2, 2017
Gutierrez just arrived in Chicago on Sunday evening from a visit to Puerto Rico. "No part did not receive egregious impact," he said in his update. "There are bridges and roads that have been washed away," he said.
Traveling to the interior of the island—which was difficult even before the storm—is "impossible today," Gutierrez said. He's calling for major military intervention to assist the relief efforts.
Emanuel said the federal emergency response to Puerto Rico had been "inadequate," and described that characterization as "gentle."
Protesters rallied on Friday outside Trump Tower to cast a spotlight on what they see as an inadequate federal response.
The City of Chicago created a list of suggested charity organizations in the wake of Maria and other recent natural disasters which you can support here.