Royal Caribbean has sent one of its cruise ships to help evacuate people from Puerto Rico and deliver much-needed supplies to Caribbean islands in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The cruise line announced on Tuesday that it was canceling an upcoming Adventure of the Seas cruise so the ship, which holds up to 3,800 people, could pick up evacuees and send supplies, according to CNN.
The ship will deliver aid to San Juan, as well as St. Croix and St. Thomas, which were hit by both Maria and Hurricane Irma.
The ship arrived in San Juan on Wednesday and will take evacuees to Fort Lauderdale before returning next week, CNN reported.
The evacuations come as people are stuck inside Puerto Rico's main airport in San Juan, which is barely operational.
Security checks are being done by hand because of damaged equipment, airlines are having trouble printing boarding passes, and only 10 flights made it out of the airport on Tuesday, CNN reported.
Other cruise lines are also lending a hand.
Carnival sent out 11 ships to deliver supplies to the Caribbean Islands, making stops in Antigua and St. Kitts.
Norwegian cruise line announced a $600,000 donation to help in the rebuilding process in Puerto Rico, the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. The cruise line also vowed to match up to $1.25 million in donations to relief groups All Hands Volunteers and Happy Heart Fund.
Contact Samantha Putterman at sputterman@tampabay.com. Follow her on Twitter @samputterman. ___
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