Manhattan art exhibit holds fundraiser after Hurricane Fiona batters Puerto Rico
LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- An art exhibit was held in New York City to raise funds to help the people of Puerto Rico following the devastating impact of Hurricane Fiona.
The sounds of Puerto Rico rang out on the Lower East Side Tuesday night as haunting images echoed the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria five years ago.
Artist Adrian Roman created all the pieces in the gallery. His goal: to honor the thousands of lives lost, to embrace those left uprooted and traumatized and to acknowledge the countless broken hearts.
A photo album showcased at the exhibit belonged to a man named Edgardo. Flood waters erased the images of his loved ones, and he was about to throw it away, but the artist turned Edgardo's trash into treasure.
Then there was a portrait of Digna, whose home washed away. She has still not found her footing.
"Just like Digna, there's hundreds of thousands of people that experience what Digna experienced," Roman said.
The event called Picking up the Pieces, was timed to mark five years since Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico.
What they could not predict was that Hurricane Fiona would strike and wipe out all power to the island.
Many at the event were ready to help once more.
"After Maria, after earthquakes and now we're going in again," Richard 'Crazy Legs' Colon said.
Inaru Guara, who has family in Puerto Rico, is flying there on Monday to search for her beloved 100-year-old grandfather.
"These are human beings. Maria turned into a human rights crisis. We are still experiencing that with Fiona," she said.
What began as a night of remembrance is now also a call to raise funds again.
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