LA Puerto Rican community gathers donations for Hurricane Maria victims

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Puerto Rico is in a state of emergency after Hurricane Maria completely destroyed most of the island, so now Puerto Ricans in Los Angeles have come together to help.

More than 3 million people are without power on the island and may remain without it for as long as a month. The majority of cell towers are also down, making communication extremely difficult.

In Hollywood, members of the L.A. Puerto Rican community came together Thursday at El Floridita restaurant to collect donations and organize help for families trapped in the storm's aftermath.

At least 11 people have died in Puerto Rico. Some areas have seen more than 3 feet of rain, which is expected to continue into the weekend.

"It's been horrible. The only thing that's been keeping us stable is the fact that we can do things like this," Kabir Mendez, a Puerto Rico native, said.

The organizers set up a Facebook page to figure out how to get all of the donated goods and supplies to those who need it.

"Today is Puerto Rico. Yesterday was Mexico. Next might be California. So we just want to do everything that we can," said Sandra Bonaparte, assistant manager of the restaurant.

If you would like to help, you may go to the Facebook page by clicking here.