As the earth continues to move in the south of Puerto Rico, our hearts and thoughts go out to our friends on the island. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 1,000+ earthquakes have struck Puerto Rico since December 28, including the largest, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on January 7, 2020. Earlier this month, Governor Wanda Vázquez declared a state of emergency, estimating $110 million dollars in losses. Thousands of people have relocated to shelters or are choosing to sleep outside for fear that their homes will collapse during the night.
CERF+ is monitoring the situation and is prepared to respond to any requests for emergency financial assistance from eligible artists who work in craft disciplines. We’ve already received a number of inquiries and are working with those artists to help guide them through the application process.
Since Hurricane Maria made landfall in 2017, CERF+ has supported 82 artists in Puerto Rico and provided $323,000+ in emergency relief assistance. CERF+ has been able to support artists in Puerto Rico because of the generous support from the Flamboyán Foundation, Global Giving, and our donors.
If you are an artist or artisan (or you know of one) impacted by the earthquakes, please check our recovery resources and consider submitting an inquiry for our emergency relief program. As this is a particularly stressful situation for the residents of Puerto Rico, many of whom are still recovering from the trauma of Hurricane Maria, we encourage people to call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746.