BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards has has announced the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will lead a statewide donation drive to help Hurricane Maria survivors in Puerto Rico.

Maria’s hurricane force winds whipped through the island and knocked out most forms of communication, while heavy rain caused severe flooding and has put a major dam at risk of failure. Thousands have been left without power or access to basic survival provisions like food, water and medication.

The state will begin collecting these items tomorrow, September 27 through Wednesday, October 11:

• Diapers
• Non-perishable formula
• Baby wipes
• Bottles and nipples
• Feminine care products

You can a list of collection sites in all 64 parishes here: http://gov.louisiana.gov/PuertoRico.

The donation drive may continue in the future with additional items should that support be needed.

The governor's office says it is important to only donate items mentioned on the list. 

The Louisiana Army National Guard will handle collecting the donated items and transporting them to Puerto Rico. LANG has previously helped with this type of drive after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America.