KILLEEN, TX — A Central Texas man is taking action to help families in his hometown of Puerto Rico.
"Through all that pain and suffering, and living in the baseball field and living in those circumstances, I know exactly what that 5 year old is living right now,” said Jason Rivera.
Rundown streets, families living in tents and destruction all around is what Rivera witnessed when he went to Puerto Rico earlier this year.
The ground in southern Puerto Rico first began shaking on Dec. 28, and while experts say several local faults are to blame, they are still analyzing data to determine why the earthquakes continue, according to the Associated Press.
Those images only brought flashbacks of his childhood, and prompted him to take immediate action.
"You look into a 71-year-old man...that has worked his whole life and built this house with his bare hands and he has his whole family sleeping in a garage...you got to do something,” said Rivera.
Rubble and debris throughout the once vibrant streets of Puerto Rico is all that's left in certain parts of the country.
Earthquakes shook the region nearly every day for a month in January.
U.S. President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for more than dozen municipalities in Puerto Rico following earthquakes that officials say have caused more than $200 million in damage.
"There are people currently living in tents and parks and baseball fields that are flooded."
The devastation has left families affected by the disaster with nowhere to go.
"There are obviously a lot of people in desperate need."
Jason Rivera knows first hand what these families are going through.
"I grew up in Puerto Rico in the North East side and I lived in a Baseball field after Hurricane Hugo hit…I just see myself when I was younger,” said Rivera.
For two and a half years he lived on that field with his family.
Now, he is taking action and finding a way to give back.
"We cannot help everyone but we can do something for four families, I know we can," said Rivera.
Jason, his family and friends are planning some local events to help raise money.
Their hope is to travel back to Puerto Rico and help families re-establish their homes.
Any events taking place will be placed on the website.
To donate money and help support this cause you can via PayPal HERE.
You can also donate through the Facebook set-up HERE.
So far, they have raised over $5,500. Their goal is to be able to purchase some RV's for families to have a solid home in Puerto Rico.
The PR Project will be holding a softball tournament on March 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3302 S Clear Creek Road in Killeen.
