AccuWeather Adopts Remote Village in Puerto Rico, Set to Deliver Life-Saving Aid to Victims Hard Hit by Hurricanes
Updated Oct 14, 2017 9:05 AM EST
Weather leader adopts the town of Patillas as a focus for AccuWeather’s “Rays of Hope” community service initiative.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center – October 14, 2017 – AccuWeather, the largest and fastest-growing source of weather forecasts and warnings with Superior Accuracy™, has announced it is responding to the extraordinary 2017 hurricane season, with a companywide effort to help victims impacted by Hurricane Maria. The company has made arrangements to adopt the town of Patillas, Puerto Rico, a remote village located in the southern part of the island, as a focus for AccuWeather’s “Rays of Hope” community service initiative.
Patillas was one of the first towns affected when Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Because Patillas has no port access, it has been largely cut off from relief efforts and shipments of supplies, putting its more than 20,000 residents in a desperate situation with a scarcity of clean water, power, cell service, food staples and other essentials.
“AccuWeather is dedicated to saving lives and keeping people out of harm’s way by providing the most accurate weather forecasts and warnings,” said Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather’s Founder, President and Chairman. “We warned the people in the area and around the world about the impending hurricanes and their expected impacts, which we know saved thousands of lives, and we are very proud of that. Still it is heartbreaking to know what the people of Puerto Rico are going through now, and, as a company that understands the effects of severe weather perhaps better than anyone, we felt obligated to provide relief.”
AccuWeather will begin collecting life-saving staples and goods in a shipping container, which will be delivered to AccuWeather on Monday, October 16th. The company, based in State College, Pennsylvania, is asking employees, neighbors, businesses and residents of the surrounding Centre County community to donate needed items. Once filled, the container will be shipped directly to Puerto Rico, where AccuWeather associates will be on hand to help deliver the needed items directly to the people of Patillas.
Norberto Soto Figueroa, the Mayor of Patillas has provided AccuWeather with a list of items needed to help the people of his community endure this crisis and begin to rebuild their lives. These supplies will help families stay clean and healthy, and protect them from diseases and other ailments that can occur after the loss of equipment, infrastructure, fresh food and access to safe water.
“The people I am proud to represent in the town of Patillas, are so grateful to AccuWeather,” said Mayor Figueroa. “We are suffering, but it is a relief to know that help is on its way and that people understand and care about our catastrophic and heart-breaking situation.”
NEMF (New England Motor Freight) and TOTE Shipping are partnering with AccuWeather to provide and ship the container of supplies to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The supplies will be trucked across the island to the Patillas community. From there, the goods will be distributed directly to those in need.
Local residents are encouraged to participate in this relief effort by purchasing and bringing any of the items on the collection list by October 24. The container will be located in the parking lot of AccuWeather’s Global Weather Center, 385 Science Park Road, State College, PA, through Wednesday, October 25. AccuWeather employees are volunteering to collect and package the items for shipment. Collection hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday, and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. on weekends.
Financial contributions, which will be used to supplement needed items on the collection list, can be made to Centre Foundation online at centre-foundation.org. Donors should click on the Fund menu and select Heath and Social Services to access the Rays of Hope Fund. Checks can be mailed to: Centre Foundation, 1377 Ridge Master Drive, State College, PA 16801. Centre Foundation requests that donors write Rays of Hope Fund on the memo line of their checks.
“This AccuWeather Rays of Hope project showcases the great character and concern of our employees. They care about making a difference not just here at home, but across the U.S. and its territories," said Elizabeth Soroka, Vice President, Human Resources at AccuWeather. "We are very proud of our staff and their excitement about jumping in to show compassion and help the people of Puerto Rico. It is not surprising that such a talented, entrepreneurial group is taking this initiative to contribute time and resources to help those in need. Ultimately, we hope the great work they are doing inspires more volunteerism."
Visit AccuWeather.com for a flyer that includes the full item collection list.
About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com
Nearly 2 billion people worldwide rely on AccuWeather to help them plan their lives, protect their businesses, and get more from their day. AccuWeather provides hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute forecasts with Superior Accuracy™ with customized content and engaging video presentations available through smart phones, tablets, free wired and mobile Internet sites via AccuWeather.com, award-winning AccuWeather apps, connected TVs, wearables, smart homes, and connected cars, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the AccuWeather Network cable channel. Established in 1962 by Founder, Chairman, and President Dr. Joel N. Myers - a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society who was recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur Magazine's Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs book - AccuWeather also delivers a wide range of highly customized enterprise solutions to media, business, government, and institutions, as well as weather news, content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. AccuWeather's CEO, Barry Lee Myers, is an award winning leader in global weather information issues and one of the world's most recognized advocates for cooperative relationships between government weather agencies and the weather industry. He is a leader in the digital weather information space.
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AccuWeather Adopts Remote Village in Puerto Rico, Set to Deliver Life-Saving Aid to Victims Hard Hit by Hurricanes
Updated Oct 14, 2017 9:05 AM EST
Weather leader adopts the town of Patillas as a focus for AccuWeather’s “Rays of Hope” community service initiative.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center – October 14, 2017 – AccuWeather, the largest and fastest-growing source of weather forecasts and warnings with Superior Accuracy™, has announced it is responding to the extraordinary 2017 hurricane season, with a companywide effort to help victims impacted by Hurricane Maria. The company has made arrangements to adopt the town of Patillas, Puerto Rico, a remote village located in the southern part of the island, as a focus for AccuWeather’s “Rays of Hope” community service initiative.
Patillas was one of the first towns affected when Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Because Patillas has no port access, it has been largely cut off from relief efforts and shipments of supplies, putting its more than 20,000 residents in a desperate situation with a scarcity of clean water, power, cell service, food staples and other essentials.
“AccuWeather is dedicated to saving lives and keeping people out of harm’s way by providing the most accurate weather forecasts and warnings,” said Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather’s Founder, President and Chairman. “We warned the people in the area and around the world about the impending hurricanes and their expected impacts, which we know saved thousands of lives, and we are very proud of that. Still it is heartbreaking to know what the people of Puerto Rico are going through now, and, as a company that understands the effects of severe weather perhaps better than anyone, we felt obligated to provide relief.”
AccuWeather will begin collecting life-saving staples and goods in a shipping container, which will be delivered to AccuWeather on Monday, October 16th. The company, based in State College, Pennsylvania, is asking employees, neighbors, businesses and residents of the surrounding Centre County community to donate needed items. Once filled, the container will be shipped directly to Puerto Rico, where AccuWeather associates will be on hand to help deliver the needed items directly to the people of Patillas.
Norberto Soto Figueroa, the Mayor of Patillas has provided AccuWeather with a list of items needed to help the people of his community endure this crisis and begin to rebuild their lives. These supplies will help families stay clean and healthy, and protect them from diseases and other ailments that can occur after the loss of equipment, infrastructure, fresh food and access to safe water.
“The people I am proud to represent in the town of Patillas, are so grateful to AccuWeather,” said Mayor Figueroa. “We are suffering, but it is a relief to know that help is on its way and that people understand and care about our catastrophic and heart-breaking situation.”
NEMF (New England Motor Freight) and TOTE Shipping are partnering with AccuWeather to provide and ship the container of supplies to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The supplies will be trucked across the island to the Patillas community. From there, the goods will be distributed directly to those in need.
Local residents are encouraged to participate in this relief effort by purchasing and bringing any of the items on the collection list by October 24. The container will be located in the parking lot of AccuWeather’s Global Weather Center, 385 Science Park Road, State College, PA, through Wednesday, October 25. AccuWeather employees are volunteering to collect and package the items for shipment. Collection hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday, and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. on weekends.
Financial contributions, which will be used to supplement needed items on the collection list, can be made to Centre Foundation online at centre-foundation.org. Donors should click on the Fund menu and select Heath and Social Services to access the Rays of Hope Fund. Checks can be mailed to: Centre Foundation, 1377 Ridge Master Drive, State College, PA 16801. Centre Foundation requests that donors write Rays of Hope Fund on the memo line of their checks.
“This AccuWeather Rays of Hope project showcases the great character and concern of our employees. They care about making a difference not just here at home, but across the U.S. and its territories," said Elizabeth Soroka, Vice President, Human Resources at AccuWeather. "We are very proud of our staff and their excitement about jumping in to show compassion and help the people of Puerto Rico. It is not surprising that such a talented, entrepreneurial group is taking this initiative to contribute time and resources to help those in need. Ultimately, we hope the great work they are doing inspires more volunteerism."
Visit AccuWeather.com for a flyer that includes the full item collection list.
About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com
Nearly 2 billion people worldwide rely on AccuWeather to help them plan their lives, protect their businesses, and get more from their day. AccuWeather provides hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute forecasts with Superior Accuracy™ with customized content and engaging video presentations available through smart phones, tablets, free wired and mobile Internet sites via AccuWeather.com, award-winning AccuWeather apps, connected TVs, wearables, smart homes, and connected cars, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the AccuWeather Network cable channel. Established in 1962 by Founder, Chairman, and President Dr. Joel N. Myers - a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society who was recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur Magazine's Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs book - AccuWeather also delivers a wide range of highly customized enterprise solutions to media, business, government, and institutions, as well as weather news, content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. AccuWeather's CEO, Barry Lee Myers, is an award winning leader in global weather information issues and one of the world's most recognized advocates for cooperative relationships between government weather agencies and the weather industry. He is a leader in the digital weather information space.
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