Mount Olive group offers help to families in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 1, 2017 7:08 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Nydia Lopez cried for six days after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico.
"This is not only because my family lives there, but just seeing everybody in the situation they are," she said. "I do have family in Texas, and Texas went through kind of the same. But as Americans we get together and those people are receiving a lot of help right now."
She was finally able to stop crying after two short phone calls from her father and sister letting her know her family had survived the storm uninjured.
They were only able to talk for a short time, and there have been no calls since then. Lopez knows that family homes suffered some damage, but not how much.
She has no idea when she will hear from them again.
"If they suffered any damages they won't say it because that is how we are," she said. We don't want to worry people, especially family who are not close by. So as of right now we are taking their words that they are OK.
"We are just taking it day by day, just hoping everything will get better. Faith in God that is the only thing that I have. He is the only one who knows the reason for everything and I know everything will be better. How long? I don't know, but I know that He will somehow."
What she does know is Puerto Rico is an island far away, and while it is a territory of the Unites States and its residents are citizens of the United States, aid has been slow to reach there, she said.
"They don't have water. They don't have power," she said.
She is hopeful that local residents will help Girl Scout Troop 3901 and American Legion Post 103 of Mount Olive to collect items for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico.
Items needed include personal hygiene products, personal medical supplies such as peroxide and bandages, toothpaste/toothpaste, baby care products such as diapers, wipes and formula, feminine products, nonperishable food, new socks and underwear, towels, washcloths, paper products, sanitizer, batteries and water.
The items should be brought to the American Legion building, 709 N. Chestnut St., on Friday, Oct. 13th between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
"There are so many people who do not know what Girl Scouting is," Lopez said. "We do help people, and in Girl Scouts we teach about helping others. I said the island is a whole entire community that is in need so why don't we do a collection drive?
"There are so many Girl Scout troops in Puerto Rico and this is a way for us to show them that no matter what we are still sisters."
Cash donations are not being sought to send. However, if someone wants to donate money it will be used to buy the needed items.
Lopez has partnered with a Raleigh area relief agency to get the supplies to Puerto Rico.
Lopez has been watching the news more and that is how she started this cannot be possible there are still people who have not be rescued.
Those in hospitals are dying because there is no power. Access to medication is impossible because there is no power. Therefore they need medication. They need treatment and they have not been able to get it.
Puerto Rico is an island with a lot of mountains in the center and people in that area have been able to be reached because of the debris and road conditions.
Lopez's parents were living in New York when she was born. They moved back to Puerto Rico where she grew up.
She has lived in Mount Olive for 20 years. Her mother has lived here longer and retired from the Mt. Olive Pickle Co.
"Growing up in Puerto Rico I went through a lot of hurricanes," Lopez said. "But the last one that I experienced there -- that is the reason I am here. My mom was living here and she always wanted us to come over here. My grandparents, rest in peace, wanted me to live with them in New York. But I don't deal with the cold weather.
"But when Hurricane George hit the island in September of 1998 I said I don't want to go through these anymore. It was a category 2 hurricane and the gust winds were like 140 something."
She weathered the storm in a solid concrete building.
Lopez decided to leave because the winds shook even that solid structure.
"It was just like it was an earthquake," she said. "Every time I hear hurricane and I hear just a little bit of wind, I start shaking."
Lopez now she says she does not want to move from Wayne County.
There are a lot of people who do not know that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. However, they don't have the same benefits. The need is there and it is really hard to provide it because it is an island far away from here.
"There are so many things that people do not understand and probably is really hard even for us and people who live there because it is politics," she said. "A lot of people do not get involved in politics."
Lopez would like to think that the attention now focused on Puerto Rico would also raise people's awareness that the country is a U.S. territory and its residents U.S. citizens.
Some might ask how they can be citizens and others will watch the news and still not know," she said.
That is just the way it is, Lopez said.
"We just pay attention to whatever we want," she said.
For more information or to establish a different drop off time, call Lopez at 919-273-1491 or Roosevelt Jones at 919-299-4040.