Excerpts from Chicago.cbslocal.com:
22 Chicago firefighters have returned from nine days of emergency duty in hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico.
Their work day began before dawn and sometimes lasted into the night, and their job was to get supplies and perform well-being checks in places no one else could reach.
Incident Commander Juan Hernandez says the devastation is several times worse than what you’re seeing on TV and the internet.
“Broken bridges, roads disconnected, there’s an area where there’s about 200 individuals that are totally disconnected from civilization.” Hernandez said the other way to get food and medical supplies to them was to use a zip line.
Santiago said 20 of the 22 firefighters are bilingual. The commissioner said another 400 members of the department also volunteered to go, even offering to pay their own way.
The men and women making the trip had to use their vacation time to go to Puerto Rico.
To donate, a list of organizations and charities can be found on the city’s website.
