Bronx concert held to benefit Puerto Rico earthquake victims

Saturday, January 18, 2020
Bronx concert held to benefit Puerto Rico earthquake victims
Naveen Dhaliwal has more from the Bronx.

KINGSBRIDGE HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) -- They were jamming in the Bronx on Friday night - all for a good cause.

Puerto Rican musicians, including Grammy-Award Winning Eddie Palmieri putting on a benefit concert at Lehman College for earthquake-ravaged Puerto Rico. The island is still reeling from the disaster and needs every bit of help they can get.

RELATED: 'Tiempo' in Puerto Rico: Joe Torres reports as island struggles to recover amid fear of future quakes.

"Sometimes a major thing needs to happen for us to realize we are just one," said Evelyn Gomez.

Ronalys Quiles Cortes is from Guanica, Puerto Rico and was home when the first earthquake hit.

"Everything was shaking - my bed, my clothes are falling over," she said.

After weeks of her family sleeping in their car and on the sidewalk, they escaped to New York, and are now living with their cousin, Jodie Roure.

"They came to New York City because there are 14 of them, and they are staying with us because they don't know when they're going to be back," Roure said.

Cortes and her family are lucky to have an option to come to New York, but many others don't have that option and are in need of dire help.

"Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans are from different nationalities, not just Puerto Rico, that don't have anywhere to go and don't know what they are going to do, but they have to leave," Roure added.

Their pain is being felt thousands of miles away in the Bronx, and New Yorkers are coming together to bring hope and have one message: 'stay strong, stay positive, we are strong, we are resilient - this is how were are made.'

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