What’s happened in Puerto Rico? It seems that all we’re hearing about is Puerto Rico’s crisis and the horrible chaos that is going on over there. But how bad is it, why should you care, and how can you help? Well according to David Leonhardt writing for the New York Times, over 80% of Puerto Rico’s electrical services are not working, 20% of the inhabitants of the island are without running water, 40% of Puerto Rican citizens are without cell phone service, and 21 out of 50 of the sewage treatment facilities aren’t operating. These statistics personally shocked me, and I’m sure many others would be shocked as well. A lot of the residents in Puerto Rico are without the basic necessities they need to live sanitarily in their own home.

The hurricane has damaged the lives of thousands of people living in Puerto Rico, and even though strong efforts to help them have been pursued to help, like the American Red Cross or fundraising efforts from schools like ours, there is still much needed to be done. There are multiple ways that you personally can help the cause, and make some lives a little bit easier for our neighbors over in Puerto Rico. I’m sure most people in America by now know about the devastation hurricane Harvey and Irma have left along the Atlantic coast, but many people have not yet heard of these peoples’ specific struggles. A beneficial way to help could be spreading awareness about the specific problems that they’re dealing with, and spreading news about the supplies these people might need. You could also help organize relief efforts within your community to make a change, like having a fundraiser or a bake sale like we did here at WT, or donating on a humanitarian website.

No one can tell you how to feel about this crisis, but there are ways that this crisis can make a lasting impact on you. Many people in Pittsburgh, and around the world for that matter, have friends and family in the impacted areas, and there are also possibilities that some of the effects of this hurricane have been made worse by climate change. The problems from this hurricane affect our loved ones and even our climate. All of us can do a little more to help the causes and effects of crises all around the world, and next time you see a weather notification on your phone, you might want to stop and think about what you can do to make the world a better place.