IS SUFFERING SO MUCH AND WE'RE
PLAYING EVERY SINGLE GAME FOR
THEM.
Reporter: PLAYERS WILL SIGN
AUTOGRAPHS.
STATE SENATOR MELISSA FRAN
ZEN WAS BORN AND RAISED IN
PUERTO RICO BEFORE ATTENDING THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
SHE
MARRIED AND RAISING A YOUNG
FAMILY.
HER PERSONAL FACEBOOK
PAGE WITH MULTIPLE WAYS TO HELP
AND ALSO HAS A RESPONSE TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP ON THOSE TWEETS
OF SAN JUAN'S MAYOR.
MELISSA IS
JOINING US NOW.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S TWEETS SPECIFICALLY
THOSE CRITICIZING SAN JUAN'S
MAYOR.
I DON'T THINK IT'S A TIME TO
BE POINTING FINGERS.
IT'S A
TIME FOR US TO TAKE ACTION.
WE
DO NEED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S
HELP SO I DON'T THINK THE TWEETS
ARE HELPFUL.
BUT TO THE EXTENT
WE CAN CREATE AWARENESS OF THE
DIRE SITUATION IN PUERTO RICO, I
THINK THAT'S HELPFUL AND WE NEED
MORE SUPPORT FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
SO WE CAN'T BE
FIGHTING AMONGST EACH OTHER, WE
HAVE TO BE REUNITING RESOURCES
AND DE EMPLOYING THEM
EFFICIENTLY TO PUERTO RICO NOW.
WE DO HAVE VIDEO FROM A DAVID
BEBNO THAT HAS ONE OF THE HOME
TOWNS YOU GREW UP.
AND
OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN SEE THE
DEVASTATION THERE.
WHAT IS THAT
LIKE FOR YOU TO SEE THIS?
IT'S TERRIBLE BECAUSE I DON'T
CONSIDER MY HOMETOWN A RURAL
TOWN, IT'S ACTUALLY ON THE
NORTHWEST COAST WITH THE LARGEST
RUNWAY IN THE ENTIRE ISLAND.
THE MAYOR IS VERY ACTIVE.
SO
WHEN I SEE HIM IN DESPERATE
CALLS FOR ACTION AND FOR
SUPPLIES AND WHEN THERE'S LINES
OF UPWARD OF 2,000 PEOPLE JUST
TO GET CASH FROM AN ATM, IT'S
REALLY FRUSTRATING AND REALLY
SAD NEWS STORY FOR ME.
TELL US THE STORY OF WHAT
YOU'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH TO TRY
TO HELP YOUR 94-YEAR-OLD
GRANDMOTHER.
YOUR PARENTS ARE
ALSO STILL THERE.
MY GRANDMOTHER IS IN A TOWN
THAT HAS THE DAMN THAT'S ABOUT
TO COLLAPSE.
SHE NEEDS OXYGEN,
SHE NEEDS ELECTRICITY TO RUN HER
OXYGEN.
THEY HAD TROUBLE
GETTING OXYGEN FOR HER.
THEY
HAD TROUBLE GETTING GAS TO FILL
THE GENERATE OR TO GET THAT
MOVING AS WELL.
SO MY PARENTS
HAVE HAD TO HELP IN ANY WAY
POSSIBLE AN HOUR AWAY FROM THEM.
I ACTUALLY HAD A CONTACT IN
FLORIDA THAT WAS ABLE TO HELP ME
SHIP -- THERE SHE IS -- TO SHIP
SOME OXYGEN MACHINE TO GET TO
HER AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL GET TO
HER ON TIME AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO
KEEP HER ALIVE.
I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN GOING
24/7, FOLLOWING YOUR FACEBOOK
PAGE.
I KNOW THE GOVERNER
DAYTON CALLED YOU THIS MORNING.
WHAT DID HE HAVE TO SAY?
THE GOVERNOR IS SYMPATHETIC
AND TRYING TO MOBILIZE WHAT WE
CAN DO HERE AS A STATE IN
MINNESOTA.
TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY
CITIZENS IN PUERTO RICO BUT
THERE'S A BIG CORPORATE STORES,
BEST BUY, ST. JUDE, ALL THESE
COMPANIES HAVE OPERATIONS IN
PUERTO RICO.
SOME OF THEM LIKE
BEST BUY HAD NOT HEARD FROM AT
LEAST 40 OF THEIR EMPLOYEES JUST
AS FAR AS FRIDAY.
SO WE ARE --
THEY ARE TO HELP IN ANY WAY
POSSIBLE.
THERE IS MINNESOTA
CONNECTIONS.
THERE'S ABOUT 13
THOUSAND MINNESOTA RESIDENTS WHO
ARE OF PUERTO RICAN DESCENT.
WHEN YOU SENT US A NUMBER OF
LINKS, IF YOU WANT TO HELP,
THOSE LINKS ARE WCCO.COM LOOKING
TO THE LINK YOU SENT US.
WHAT
CAN INDIVIDUALS DO?
BECAUSE
YOU'RE GOING FROM HERE TO A
MEETING WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO
MEET WITH THE LEADERS TO TALK
ABOUT ADDITIONAL EFFORT.
INDIVIDUALS ARE NOW STEPPING
UP WITH SUPPLIES AND DONATIONS.
WE HAVE SEVERAL COLLECTION
POINTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON
YOUR WEBSITE WHICH I APPRECIATE.
WE'RE ALSO SENDING MONETARY
SUPPORT THROUGH THE ST. PAUL
FOUNDATION, HAS ESTABLISHED A
FUND THAT YOU CAN FIND.
AND SO
THOSE ARE WAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN
CONTRIBUTE.
ALSO TO RAISE
AWARENESS OF THIS ISSUE AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL.
WE'RE HAVING A
PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW AT THE
NATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL WHERE
LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE, ACROSS
THE COUNTRY ARE COMING TOGETHER
TO SAY WE NEED MORE OF AN
IMMEDIATE ACTION AND RESPONSE.
AND HAITI, WE HAD 22,000 TROOPS
TWO WEEKS LATER.
IN PUERTO RICO
RIGHT NOW WE ONLY HAVE 10,000
MILITARY TROOPS HELPING THE
EFFORT.
SO WE NEED MORE
ATTENTION, AWARENESS AND MORE
DEPLOYMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
AGAIN, THE POINT BEING THESE
TERROR U.S. CITIZENS WHICH MANY
PEOPLE DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND.
I DO.
THERE'S A LACK OF
AWARENESS OF THAT.
SINCE 1917
PUERTO RICANS HAVE SERVED IN
WORLD WAR I. WE ARE FRIENDS AND