The 46-year-old celebrity of The Real Housewives of New York, Bethenny Frankel, has been providing aid to Puerto Rico since the Category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Many people seem to stop talking about hurricanes after they hit; however, the aftermath is extremely important for the families who have just lost everything. Puerto Rico is still in the process of recovering from Maria, with the death toll reaching 36 and counting.
“This is a forgotten island,” Frankel told People. “People have been living on their roofs for 13 days. It is like nothing I have ever seen. People’s entire homes and cars are immersed in mud, the likes I’ve never seen.”
Frankel has sent 10 planes to Puerto Rico loaded with supplies to help the victims. She has provided diapers, water, gift cards, food, medical supplies, and other essential survival equipment.
“Besides her own money, Frankel paid for this out of thousands of dollars in donations from Andy Cohen, Donny Deutsch, Elvis Duran and others to her B Strong charity, in partnership with Delivering Good. In addition to donating $10,000 to her nonprofit and pitching in $20,000 for Frankel’s four private planes, Duran pledged $100,000 to Feeding America to help with disaster relief,” People Magazine reports.
Frankel not only brought supplies to Puerto Rico, but also, upon arrival, filled her planes with injured individuals to be brought to America for proper medical attention.
Frankel tells People, “We arrived in the first town before their own mayor. We pulled onto a street with a truck of basic necessities, and you would have thought I was giving out diamonds. What struck me was people politely waiting in line patiently. They are so proud. I gave them cash cards in envelopes, and they were emotional yet still proud. Their faith is intact.”
She continues, “There is no color on the island. Every palm tree is rooted. This bitch hit every inch of this island. The low death toll is only counting what happened when it hit, but a storm happens more gradually than a hurricane. Now is when people are dying. They are starving. They are thirsty. They cannot communicate. They cannot bathe themselves. They wash their babies and laundry in street water.”
“It is a war zone. I do not play the blame game, but the 73 towns of Puerto Rico need to be methodically mapped out and visited, and the relief needs to be organized, delegated and executed.”
Other celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Lin-Manuel Miranda have provided their efforts as well to help those suffering in Puerto Rico.
Serena Wong from NYMM states, “[Lopez] has said that she and Rodriguez are ‘utilizing all of our resources and relationships in entertainment, sports and business to garner support for Puerto Rican and Caribbean relief efforts,’ and are working with both the New York Yankees and the Dallas Mavericks to make sure that the people of Puerto Rico receive aid as quickly as possible.”
These celebrities are all using their high status and wealth for the greater good of humanity. Whether it is for publicity or not, these efforts mean so much to the people of Puerto Rico.
If you are interested in donating, you can find Bethenny Frankel’s recovery fund for the people of Puerto Rico here.
Featured Image by Andrew Todd on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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