BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — In the last few weeks areas in Florida and Puerto Rico, which have strong ties to the Western New York region, have been devastated by hurricanes.
Just last week, Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida and causing extensive damage and flooding.
On September 18 Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico causing extensive damage and flooding.
Many who spoke to 7 News in the days after Fiona's landfall said the island was dealing with the impact of Fiona while still recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Due to the continued recovery effort and the strong ties between Western New York, southwest Florida and Puerto Rico, 7 News teamed up with the American Red Cross Tuesday for the "Buffalo Strong Hurricane Relief Telethon."
During the telethon, which will go until 11 p.m. Tuesday, you can call (716) 661-3711 to donate by phone and select disaster relief, Hurricane Ian relief, or Hurricane Fiona relief.
After the telethon is over you can donate online at redcross.org.
In addition, local elected and community leaders came together to form the WNY Puerto Rico Relief Fund, which was formed to:
- Raise funds to provide Hurricane Fiona survivors assistance with potable water, electrical power outages, health care and property damage due to flooding and mudslides; and
- Advocate for sustainable, resilient infrastructure, especially the Puerto Rican power grid, which has remained fragile since 2017’s Hurricane Maria.
Donations to the WNY Puerto Rico Relief Fund can be made online here.
