Resilience in the Wake of Hurricane Maria

Puerto Rico is a complicated place. It is a tourism hub in the Caribbean, and there are plenty of swanky hotels and sightseeing tours to prove it. But beyond the glitz of its beaches, there’s also widespread poverty at a rate closing in on 50% and an economy plagued by serious debt and recession.

So, it’s not a surprise that Puerto Rico’s post-hurricane experience has been equally complicated. Hurricane Maria hit the island hard this past fall. Really hard. Still recovering from Irma, the Category 4 storm made a direct strike and left havoc in its wake. After more than 30 hours, the howling winds and torrential rains subsided. But what remained was widespread destruction paralleled by few storms in American history. And 3.4 million residents were plunged into a humanitarian crisis.

Rebuilding Starts with the Basics

It’s been more than eight months now and Puerto Rico’s still in the news, and the reasons have been unsurprisingly just as complicated. Controversies abound on the level and speed of government aid, the focus areas of that aid and what’ll happen next. But one thing is clear: its people still need our help. And thanks to your generosity, we are grateful to have had the opportunity to respond.