KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott will be making a stop in Kissimmee Wednesday where volunteers have been collecting supplies and donations for Hurricane Maria-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Scott will be at the Osceola Housing Agency on North Beaumont Avenue at 3:30 p.m. to thank volunteers for their efforts to help the island, recently hit by two back-to-back hurricanes.
People around Central Florida have been working together to raise funds for Puerto Rico and send supplies to the island, which is without power, and for those without water.
Transporting supplies to the island quickly has been difficult because barges take up to a week and flights in and out of Puerto Rico are limited.
Sen. Marco Rubio met with Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday to discuss a new strategy for speeding up the process.
Rubio said during a Facebook live Wednesday that four of his staff members arrived in San Juan Wednesday and will be at the Emergency Operation Center there helping coordinate relief efforts.
This storm response will require a federal surge of assets, Rubio said, including the Department of Defense to help logistically with bridges and debris cleanup.
“If the companies in Florida, which are huge publicly-traded companies, weren’t able to do it on their own there is no way that Puerto Rico can,” Rubio said.
Restoring communications and energy is critical, Rubio added.