Like a lot of Puerto Ricans living in the mainland US, Gabriela Durán felt helpless as she watched Hurricane Maria ravage her homeland last week. So she and hundreds living in Los Angeles started coordinating with other local Puerto Ricans through social media and in 24 hours had raised $10,000 for food, water, hygiene products, and survival gear.
Durán then put the package on a JetBlue flight to San Juan addressed to a local volunteer group that planned to drive the goods to Loiza, a poor community one hour outside of San Juan. But the driver who was sent to the airport to get the supplies was turned away after waiting there for several hours.
It's unclear what exactly happened to the goods Durán sent, but for the past seven days Puerto Rican government officials have been manually inspecting incoming shipments for any taxes owed, local officials told El Nuevo Día and El Vocero. "These people must know there are people dying, and you're checking for a sales tax? Really?" said Xiomara Caro, an organizer for the group that was supposed to receive the shipment.
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