JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A container ship left Tuesday night from the St. Johns River, heading to Puerto Rico to delivery much-needed supplies for the people affected by Hurricane Maria.
Crowley Maritime Corporation is sending 3,000 loads of food, supplies and other cargo to San Juan to help with the recovery.
Recommended Videos
News4Jax sat down with Mark Miller, vice president of communications with Crowley Maritime, on Tuesday before the ship departed.
Miller said this is personal. Crowley has 300 employees in Puerto Rico, and Miller said that he just found out that they are all safe.
"It's absolutely heartbreaking. It really is. Good friends down there. It's really difficult to see. I can only imagine what they're going through right now. It's just really difficult," Miller said. "We play a vital role in the supply chain for Puerto Rico. So we're stepping up to work with these agencies to get the cargo where it needs to go, when it needs to get there. Our employees are stepping up, too. Our employees are putting together all kinds of packages that are going to go out on a vessel this weekend."
Miller told News4Jax it's likely the recovery process in Puerto Rico could take years.
He said the company is also working to get aid to St. Croix and St. Thomas, which were also hit hard this hurricane season.