HERMOSA — After crippling parts of the Dominica, Hurricane Maria is now taking aim at Puerto Rico — and the country is bracing for catastrophic damage not seen in decades.
To help, the Puerto Rican Agenda, a Chicago-based organization made up of local Puerto Rican leaders, is hosting an emergency fundraiser 7 - 11 p.m. Friday at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4046 W. Armitage Ave.
The fundraiser will include live dance performances and a silent auction. All proceeds from the $25 tickets will benefit the Puerto Rican Agenda's hurricane emergency relief fund.
According to CNN, Maria is the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Dominica, destroying everything in its path with 160 mph winds. Now the hurricane is headed directly toward Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has declared a state of emergency.
"No generation has seen a hurricane like this since San Felipe II in 1928," Rosselló told CNN. "This is an unprecedented atmospheric system."