LYNN — As the Puerto Rican flag was raised above Lynn City Hall, Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy yelled out in Spanish that we are all Puerto Rican.
More than a month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the flag was raised in solidarity with the U.S. territory and a fundraiser was held at the Latino Business Association to benefit families still recovering from the damage caused by the storm.
Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts partnered with the city to fill a 26-foot truck with donations, which will be brought directly to the affected communities.
Isaac Davila, who has family living on the island, said many of the donations made right after the storm hit are still sitting in a warehouse, and haven’t yet reached the people who need them.
“They are saying it will be about six months before power is restored,” he said.
More than 40 percent of the territory remains without electricity and clean water, said Frances Martinez. To date, 51 people have died as a result of the storm, she said.
Hurricane Maria, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, struck the U.S. territory as a Category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds of 155 mph. The storm was stronger than Hurricane Irma when it devastated the Florida Keys earlier in September, according to the Associated Press.
Parts of Puerto Rico were still recovering from Irma, which left more than 1 million people without power and caused widespread damage, when Maria hit.
During and after the storm, Davila, like countless others with family in Puerto Rico, lost contact with his father and stepmother, who live in Manati.
A direct donation was made to the municipality on the northern coast by Houston Astros player Carlos Correa.
Davila’s dad, who works for the city, has been hard at work trying to help restore electricity. His stepmother, who takes care of the elderly, has been without work because most of her clients have been removed from the island.
“People have been donating things and it’s ending up on the shelves in supermarkets,” said Jaime Figueroa, an at-large candidate with family in Puerto Rico. “There are nine-hour lines at Walmart and then people are limited in what they can take. It’s a major problem.”
Figueroa recommended scratching off the barcodes from donated items to prevent them from being resold in stores.
Amber Amadis, 13, who has been performing since she was 3, sang the Puerto Rican national anthem as the flag was raised. Her mother was born in Puerto Rico.
“It’s not possible for me to help everybody, but this is a way I can support them,” said Amadis.
