Support for Puerto Rico

Last week, Hurricane Fiona swept through Puerto Rico, causing massive flooding, landslides, and an island-wide blackout. Many areas are still flooded, with homes destroyed or in unlivable conditions, and hundreds of thousands of people are still without power. Our thoughts are with any employees and their loved ones who have been impacted by Hurricane Fiona, particularly as we are painfully reminded of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria around this time five years ago.  

For anyone who has been impacted or is seeking to support those who have been impacted by Hurricane Fiona, the University’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP)provider has compiled a list of resources in English and Spanish. The resources include the names and locations of shelters, links to information on hurricane and power outage preparedness and recovery, important contacts, and more. In addition, as more communities brace for hurricanes and other destructive weather events, we share the EAP’s Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Resource Guide.

We would also like to inform you of campus opportunities to support Puerto Rico.  

• St. John’s Athletics is donating one dollar of every ticket purchased for select games to the Hispanic Federation in support of their Hurricane Fiona relief efforts. To further boost ticket sales for this cause, employees can purchase tickets for two of the games at a discounted rate.  

• The Latin American Law Students Association is holding a bake sale in the Law School cafeteria on Thursday, September 29, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., with all proceeds going to charity to support those affected by Hurricane Fiona.

Disasters not only have a physical impact, but an emotional one as well. As a reminder, the EAP offers you and your family free, confidential, 24/7 access to in-the-moment support and referrals to professional counseling for any issue. The EAP can be reached by calling 800-833-8707 or by visiting www.myccaonline.com (company code: stjohns).