Officials in Puerto Rico have been urgently and publicly pleading for emergency help in aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Billionaires and celebrities are answering the call, stepping up to help Puerto Rico residents by lending their planes to deliver food, water and critical medical supplies. From WGN:
American rapper Pitbull and billionaire Mark Cuban are lending private planes to the ongoing relief effort in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island.
On Tuesday, Puerto Rico Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzales tweeted, “Thank you Pitbull for lending your private plane to move cancer patients from PR to USA so that they can get chemo.”
Pitbull told the New York Daily News, “Thank God we’re blessed to help. Just doing my part.”
Singers Marc Anthony and his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez created a humanitarian alliance to use the power of social media to drive donations for critical supplies:
The alliance currently has over 30 celebrities from all over the world like Despacito stars Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, Hamilton’s Lin Manuel-Miranda, Ricky Martin, Maluma, Nacho, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Pitbull.
With over 1 billion social media followers combined, the alliance members are encouraging friends and followers to come together, offer donations, and bring “hope and relief to the people that need it most”.
Lopez also donated $1 million to relief efforts and Marc Anthony recorded a message of inspiration and hope for the people of Puerto Rico to let them know help is on the way. In both Spanish and English, Anthony’s message is far more than anything Donald Trump has offered the 3.5 million Americans struggling to survive in apocalyptic conditions.
Anthony also used Twitter to deliver a message to Donald Trump.
And while all of these wealthy entrepreneurs and celebrities are lending their considerable resources to getting aid to Puerto Rico, there is one billionaire whose fleet of planes and helicopters are collecting dust somewhere near LaGuardia airport in New York.