The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico hasn’t had many good things happen to it lately. From Hurricane Maria in September 2017 to a series of earthquakes in December 2019 and January 2020, the island has been ravaged with electrical outages, destruction, strife and even political corruption. Maria caused the largest electrical outage in U.S. history, effectively destroying the electrical grid of the island. Relief efforts were slow, and many Puerto Ricans (almost 200,000) migrated to Florida.
Then, earthquakes once again put parts of the island in the dark. In mid-January, Puerto Rico’s governor Wanda Vazquez fired two more officials in the most recent development since anger broke out over a viral video, showing unused emergency supplies – allegedly leftover aid from Hurricane Maria – sitting in a warehouse in the southern coastal city of Ponce.
There have been demonstrations to remove Vazquez from office as the scandal of unused supplies has widened. The island, whose population has been United States citizens since 1917, is in serious trouble and one member of the New York Mets is doing something about it.
Edwin Diaz, a native of Naguabo, Puerto Rico, was on the island on January 7 when one of the stronger quakes hit. As reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, he was summoned by relatives due to the catastrophic events that day. Soon after, Diaz assembled an army of about 40 friends and family and acquired supplies to help those in the affected areas. The hardest-hit regions were about two hours west of Diaz’s home, in a town called Penuelas.
When he arrived in Penuelas, Diaz saw first hand the destruction of homes, along with many injured residents. He was with other prominent Puerto Ricans, including former Met Carlos Delgado, who was also there to lend a hand.
“When we first got there, it was really impactful,” Díaz told DiComo, speaking through an interpreter. “It’s good to be able to use your resources and be able to help other people, because it’s definitely a sad time. It feels good to see people put a smile on their face when they see you.”
Even though the quakes didn’t cause nearly the damage that Hurricane Maria did, it still uprooted lives and caused families to abandon their homes. The entire episode has lasted weeks with the aftershocks and, even as of Tuesday, the island remains on alert. For those in the hardest-hit areas, recovery efforts won’t end anytime soon.
Diaz was assigned to the Caracoles barrio, or neighborhood, by a local politician. While donned in “Team Sugar” shirts, Diaz and his army handed out supplies such as water, paper towels, toiletries and first-aid kits in his given territory.
“I don’t feel a responsibility [to help] — it’s something that comes from the heart,” Díaz said. “I know that if we were in the same situation, other people from other towns nearby would be helping us out. And luckily for us, we have the resources to be able to gather ourselves, and we are able to go help other people out. We are all Puerto Ricans, so at the end of the day, if we can help each other out, that’s what’s best,” Diaz told DiComo in a telephone interview from Puerto Rico.
Prior to his philanthropic endeavors, Diaz had been in Puerto Rico, working with coaches to improve upon a shaky first year with the Mets. He has even worked one-on-one with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
Diaz is confident that things will be better in Queens next year, telling MLB.com, “I feel like I’ve really improved a lot on what I needed to fix, a few weeks out now until we go to spring training, I feel like I’m at 100 percent of my capabilities. That I can really have a good season going into it. And I feel 100 percent that I will have a good year.”
With all that has occurred in the offseason, dealing with scandals and managerial changes, it is nice to see an athlete help out his extended family, especially considering most people regard Diaz as the guy who blew seven saves in 2019 for the Mets. Hopefully, after this show of good-will and support, he’ll be regarded as much, much more than a closer – he’s a hero.
