As Tropical Storm Dorian Nears Puerto Rico, Pol Wants NYers Ready

NEW YORK — A city lawmaker wants New Yorkers ready to help Puerto Rico in case an approaching tropical storm wreaks havoc on the island this week.

City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez urged residents the five boroughs to be alert as Tropical Storm Dorian approaches the island territory. New Yorkers should be ready to jump in and assist as they did after 2017's Hurricane Maria if Dorian turns into a hurricane, he said.

"It’s not at that level yet, but what we know is that with all the fire happening (in) the Amazon, in Bolivia, in Peru, we never know what impact it will have in this cycle that we’re in right now," Rodriguez, a Manhattan Democrat, told reporters Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to strike Puerto Rico by Wednesday evening and hit the Dominican Republic Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm was carrying sustained winds as strong as 50 MPH as it hovered about 330 miles southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico late Tuesday afternoon, the center said. The center has put the island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning.

Rodriguez, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, said New Yorkers should tell family members there or in Puerto Rico to stay alert and listen to the government's instructions. And people in the city should stand by to join relief efforts organized by the Red Cross, the Hispanic Federation and other groups should they be needed, he said.

"As New Yorkers, we know that we all show solidarity and we are ready to come on board supporting any initiative if it's needed," Rogriguez siad.

New York City is home to the largest Puerto Rican population of any city in the world. The city provided more than $1.5 million worth of supplies to displaced Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017. Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration also sent a contingent of mental health experts to Puerto Rico in 2018.