Just over a week after facing the wrath of Hurricane Irma along its northern coast, the island of Puerto Rico is bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Maria.

  • Puerto Rico bracing for direct hit from Hurricane Maria
  • Donations collected to be delivered to the island
  • Volunteers hope the supplies make it in time

Donation drives are already underway to try and get supplies to the island.

Volunteers at First Baptist Church in Orlando spent Sunday afternoon loading a shipping container with donated food and water.

Church member Peter Vivaldi is one of the organizers of the donation drive.

Twenty thousand pounds of supplies will be driven to the Port Jacksonville and loaded on a cargo ship for the 1,100-mile trip.  

The plan is to deliver the goods before the latest threat, Hurricane Maria, slams into the island. Vivaldi says he hopes the supplies make it to Puerto Rico before Hurricane Maria hits. However, there is a problem.

“Rumors are that the ports will be closed by tomorrow. If that does happen, the boat will probably sit out in the ocean until that storm passes by," Vivaldi said. "The earliest it would get there then would be Thursday morning."

In the meantime, Vivaldi said he is already organizing another donation drive for after Maria passes and emergency officials begin to assess the damage.

Vivaldi says he is hoping that Central Floridians will be willing to donate extra food and water and other items they stored for Irma, and now don’t need.