New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Thursday announced the city will provide assistance to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

The mayor, alongside Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr, and other officials, expressed the need for aid for the hurricane-ravished U.S. territory.

"This storm is devastating on top of the previous storm not only in Puerto Rico.  I also want to mention the pain the people in the US Virgin Islands are going through and so many other places.  We'll look to help all was can in so many ways, but right now our hearts [and] our prayers are with the people of Puerto Rico.  We need to put all our energy into helping any way we can," the mayor stressed.

The mayor asked all New Yorkers to donate items like diapers and food to Puerto Rico.

The New York City Urban Search & Rescue Task Force One mobilized a 27-man team Thursday that left to areas of the Caribbean hit hardest by Hurricane Maria.