Virgin Islanders spend night on cots at San Juan airport
Published: September 1, 2010
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ST. THOMAS — About 90 families, some of whom were trying to get to the Virgin Islands, were stranded in the American Eagle gate area of San Juan’s Muñoz Airport during Hurricane Earl, receiving food and comfort from American Red Cross volunteers Monday.
Carmen Caniño, the regional director for the Puerto Rico American Red Cross chapter, said the Puerto Rico Ports Authority called her about noon Monday, when it was clear that a number of flights had been cancelled because of the storm.
She said the Ports Authority set up a makeshift shelter at the airport and asked the Red Cross to provide support. A handful of Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets, “comfort kits” that contained basic toiletries, diapers and formula for infants, and cash for stranded passengers to buy food at the airport’s concessions.
The volunteers left about 10:30 p.m. Monday and returned Tuesday morning to check in with everyone, Caniño said. By 10 a.m. Tuesday, she said, all the stranded passengers were boarding flights to their destinations around the Caribbean.
“I hope everyone is home safe and sound,” Caniño said.
She said some of the Red Cross volunteers were trained in mental health care, which is helpful when assisting people who are in a high-stress situation.
“It’s not only the financial, but also the emotional support that we provide,” she said.
She also commended the Red Cross volunteers who worked in the Virgin Islands during the storm at the territory’s shelters.
“The volunteers in the Virgin Islands have done such a good job, they have gone above and beyond the call of duty,” she said.
— Contact Aldeth Lewin at 774-8772 ext. 311 or e-mail alewin@dailynews.vi
