Recent News: Families being helped by the Holyoke group as Tropical Storm Ernesto approaches Puerto Rico.

Recent News: Families being helped by the Holyoke group as Tropical Storm Ernesto approaches Puerto Rico.

Families being helped by the Holyoke group as Tropical Storm Ernesto approaches Puerto Rico.
WGGB/WSHM – SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts As it moves just north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, Tropical Storm Ernesto, which is already gathering strength in the Caribbean, has the potential to strengthen into a hurricane.

In anticipation of Ernesto, Puerto Rican officials have canceled public school courses and alerted the National Guard. Everyone is being advised to get ready in case there are extensive power outages. In an interview with Western Mass News, a local group stated they would be happy to assist if necessary.

As Tropical Storm Ernesto moves toward the United States, the British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico on Tuesday, it will bring strong winds, storm surges, and a lot of rain to the Caribbean.

By Wednesday, the storm might strengthen to hurricane status.

Western Mass News stopped by the local Holyoke organization Enlace de Familias, to learn how they assist those coming in from the islands during these types of situations.

”We help them understand what resources are in the area, we help them understand things like banking education how to register your kids in school,” said Frank Martinez.

We caught up with the executive director of the organization, Frank Martinez. He told us, while they’re closely watching Ernesto, concerns remain relatively low at the moment.

”Individuals in Puerto Rico do go through these types of hurricanes and there’s a hurricane season and they understand what effects can happen, but we do keep an eye on the category of the hurricane that’s coming through to better understand if people will be coming from the island,” explained Martinez.