Tons of donations for Puerto Rico taking off from Tampa

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Jennifer Alonso's cousin lives in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and has diabetes.

She now has eight days before she runs out of insulin.

With no power, transportation or food, her cousin is doing the once-unthinkable to, at least, have drinking water.

"They resorted to putting buckets outside in the hopes that when it rains they can catch water," Alonso said of her cousin and hundreds of thousands of others trying to survive after Hurricane Maria. "They have huddled together in their home and they are waiting for help to arrive, and it hasn't arrived." 

Alonso's office on N. Himes in Tampa has gathered hundreds of pounds of food, water, clothing and baby supplies.

The donations will begin their journey to Puerto Rico Wednesday. Brian Sims is coordinating the delivery of the two million tons of goods.

"We have food, you can see there is hygiene and cleaning products," he said. "There are something like 700 pallets of water."

The donations have funneled in from around the country. Turin Aviation, based in Tampa, is authorized by FEMA to bring the donations in. 

But the needs are deep. Only five percent have power and half have drinking water.

Many are trying to coordinate medical missions to bring help there, or to bring relatives to the mainland.

'We don't believe they can continue living there while Puerto Rico rebuilds," said Alonso. "I think especially with her medical condition, it would be best to exit the island."

Alonso says she last spoke to her relatives three days ago, and that was only because an officer brought them to the one place in town that has a phone. Her cousin's insulin will run out a week from Wednesday.