Spared Irma’s Worst, Puerto Ricans Sail to Virgin Islanders’ Aid<br />“I don’t think people knew how bad it was going to be until it was too late,” said Julie Reynolds,<br />who was rescued on Friday from Tortola, the largest island of the British Virgin Islands.<br />Some 1,200 mostly American citizens, have been carried from Saint Martin<br />and Saint Thomas in six C130 aircraft, and more than 50 patients have been airlifted to Puerto Rican hospitals, officials said.<br />Puerto Ricans relieved at being spared the worst destruction donated water, clothing, first aid<br />and other supplies, and dozens of recreational boaters sailed to nearby islands to deliver the assistance and evacuate now-homeless islanders on the return trip.<br />Puerto Ricans often cruise to the American or British Virgin Islands, known interchangeably<br />here as “las islas,” to enjoy their crystalline beaches or for fishing competitions.<br />“We only saw the need to say, ‘We’re here for you.’ ”<br />Ms. Rivera and her husband, Roger Casellas, run one of the pop-up donation centers from Mr. Casella’s boat dealership in Hato Rey.
