Sen. Murphy, NYMC Team Up For Humanitarian Mission

Almost a month after Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico, Senator Terrence Murphy, Dr. Robert Amler and Dr. Michael Reilly gave details of a jointly sponsored humanitarian mission to Puerto Rico at a press conference on Monday at New York Medical College.

When Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico, it turned a paradise into a barren countryside with no electricity, clean water or medical supplies for the thousands of inhabitants trying to survive. Senator Terrence and New York Medical College teamed up to send medical supplies and a team of medical experts to the island. The mission, called Strike Force 40, named after Murphy’s district, traveled on a private plane secured through Eric Faulkner, General Manager of Ross Aviation through an anonymous donor, and the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) donated 1,000 doses of vaccines. Within 96 hours of its creation, the team was ready for take-off.

Peter Michaelis a former journalist for ABC and CBS News whose photos have been distributed by United Press International (UPI) and the Associated Press (AP) documented the team’s often-harrowing mission, which was described Monday along with photos of the mission that were on display.

In addition to Dr. Amler and Dr. Reilly, the Strike Force 40 medical team was comprised of Ed Larre, Jose Montalvo, and Megan Florio. Martha Ruiz-Jimenez volunteered to serve as translator.

View Press Conference Here