Jorge Posada and Wife Laura Launch Fundraising Campaign for Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief

Jorge Posada hopes to help his home island bounce back.

Former Yankees great Jorge Posada and his wife, Laura, are spearheading a fundraising campaign to aid hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. 

The fundraising page on YouCaring has raised over $68,000 of its $100,000 goal from 408 donors in less than 24 hours. 

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and his wife, Wanda, have launched a similar campaign on GoFundMe, as have U.S. water polo Olympian Maggie Steffens and ESPN reporter Marly Rivera. The Molinas’ campaign has raised over $50,000, thanks in large part to $10,000 contribution from Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong. 

Puerto Rico was struck Wednesday by Hurricane Maria, the second powerful storm to hit the island in as many weeks. The storm tracked across much of the island, knocking the entire power grid offline. The whole island is without power and could be for months, governor Ricardo Rossello told CNN. The storm also caused extensive flooding. 

The island escaped major damage from Hurricane Irma earlier this month when the storm stayed further offshore than anticipated. Still, that storm knocked out power to 70 percent of the island and left nearly 40 percent of Puerto Ricans without running water. 

The Posadas have a history of charitable efforts, launching the Jorge Posada Foundation during his playing career.