As she closes in on raising $100,000 for Puerto Rico, Monica Puig has called for immediate action to be taken to help the clean-up following Hurricane Maria.
The US territory was recently devastated by the storm, which has been branded as one of the worst to ever hit Puerto Rico. According to a report by CNN, 97% of the state has no power and a serious humanitarian crisis is emerging. Sparking heavy criticism of Donald Trump by those affected.
In the wake of the devastation, Puig set up a funding page to raise money for those affected. So far she has managed to raise $87,000. Puig, who is the first Puerto Rican in history to win an individual Olympic gold medal, is eager to help her country further.
“I have gotten in contact with some big names in Puerto Rico, for example Luis Fonsi, trying to decide what other things we can do to raise funds, trying to discuss different projects to continue to help Puerto Rico in any way we can,” she recently told CNN.
“This really means so much, not just to have these Puerto Ricans helping, but they have big names and they are globally known, so we can continue to grab the attention of the people and say, ‘Help Puerto Rico, they’re in crisis now.'”
Former player Gigi Fernandez is also helping raise money. Fernandez, who won 17 grand slam doubles titles, is also from Puerto Rico. So far, she has raised over $12,000.
So far 16 people have died as a result of the crises. An estimate from Moody’s analytics predicted that $45 billion – $95 billion is needed to repair the damage. A devastating projection for a territory that is already $72 billion in debt following a financial crisis.
“The only thing I can say is that we need help and we need it now. I don’t want to see suffering in Puerto Rico.” Puig stated.
“We need all the help we can get from wherever we can get it. I just don’t want to see lives lost due to this crisis. It means a lot, anyone who is willing to help.
“We just need their help as quickly as possible.”
Puig is currently playing in the qualifying tournament at the China Open. In the first round on Friday, she defeated Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-4, 6-1.
You can donate to Puig’s fundraising page HERE.
