A cargo plane full of supplies was set to leave Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Monday morning, bound for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Susan Carlson reports.
A cargo plane full of supplies was set to leave Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Monday morning, bound for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
The mission is the result of numerous donations from individuals and corporations across the Chicago area. They were made during a fundraiser by the Puerto Rican Agenda, which has so far collected $65,000 in donations and pledges.
A portion of that money was used to purchase much-needed emergency supplies like food, toiletries and water, which will be flown to San Juan Monday, the group announced.
The United cargo flight was scheduled to depart around 7 a.m.
Hurricane Maria took quite a toll on the U.S. territory.
Across Puerto Rico, more than 15,000 people are in shelters, including some 2,000 rescued from the north coastal town of Toa Baja, where at least eight people drowned in flood waters. Officials were racing to stem a growing humanitarian crisis in towns left without fresh water, fuel, electricity or phone service.
Overall, 92.5 percent of cell sites were out of service as of Sunday morning, according to the Federal Communications Commission. That was down from 95.6 percent a day earlier.
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President Donald Trump has also pledged federal help as 4,000 members of the US Army Reserves are deployed to aid with recovery.
The United cargo flight is one of several being chartered by charities hoping to assist in what is expected to be a long recovery.
