Community leaders: Recovery efforts still needed in Puerto Rico

With the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria nearing, the recovery effort in Puerto Rico is still ongoing.

Nos Quedamos is a Bronx organization that has helped send relief to many struggling on the island and they say people are still suffering and need help.

The damage in Puerto Rico was widespread, leaving thousands without power for months.
An independent study commissioned by the island's government found that there were nearly 3,000 deaths in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Despite the study, President Trump tweeted Thursday disputing the death toll number.

In his tweet, Trump claimed 3,000 people did not die during the storm and that there were only six to 18 deaths.

Local officials, including Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., are outraged by the message and say people must continue to remember those suffering.
Community leader Rafael Ocasio Barreto, who was displaced from his home in Puerto Rico last year, told News 12 that people need to continue sending resources to the island and focus on helping those who need homes and mental health services in the Bronx.

"We need to be united because last year it happened to us and in the future it could happen in the Bronx," says Ocasio Barreto.

Anyone looking to donate is urged to continue sending resources to Puerto Rico.