With the American Red Cross in Puerto Rico (Hurricane Maria Response 2017-2018)
Con la Cruz Roja Americana en Puerto Rico (Respuesta tras el Huracán María 2017-2018)
On 6 September 2017, hurricane Irma hit the Northern part of Puerto Rico. Two weeks later, on 20 September, hurricane Maria hit even harder, leaving the entire island without electricity and communications. I happened to have moved to Puerto Rico a few months earlier, and found myself among the 3.4 million persons affected and struggling to recover from this unprecedented disaster, which is having dire economic, sanitary and environmental consequences. A Red Cross volunteer prior to the hurricanes, I thrust all that was left of my energy into joining the enormous wave of solidarity that was formed by the Puerto Rican people and those who came from outside to help. As a writer and photographer, I also had the privilege to cover the response work of the American Red Cross in Puerto Rico between September 2017 and February 2018.
El 6 de septiembre de 2017, el huracán Irma azotó la costa norte de Puerto Rico. Dos semanas después, el 20 de septiembre, el huracán María golpeó aún más fuerte, dejando a toda la isla sin electricidad y sin comunicaciones. Me había mudado a Puerto Rico unos meses antes y me encontré entre los 3,4 millones de personas afectadas y luchando por recuperarse de este desastre sin precedentes, que está teniendo graves consecuencias económicas, sanitarias y ambientales. Voluntaria de la Cruz Roja antes de los huracanes, saqué todo lo que me quedaba de energía para unirme a la enorme ola de solidaridad que fue formada por el pueblo puertorriqueño y aquellos que vinieron de fuera para ayudarlos. Como redactora y fotógrafa, también tuve el privilegio de cubrir el trabajo de la Cruz Roja Americana en la respuesta al desastre en Puerto Rico, entre septiembre de 2017 y febrero de 2018.
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Red Cross teams help the grief-stricken in Puerto Rico 12 February 2018 In Puerto Rico, many families found themselves separated or isolated after Hurricane Maria, either because the roads were blocked, or because phones and internet were not working. This isolation particularly affected the families who lost a loved one because of the hurricane. It is still difficult for them to share their grief, as people around them are less available, having to attend to their own needs after the disaster [...] |
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Months after Maria, Red Cross still helping in Puerto Rico 19 January 2018 Months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the American Red Cross is there, helping people in need. Teams of Red Cross Disaster Assessment (DA) workers travel the island, finding residents who still need assistance [...] |
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Sembrando esperanza en un refugio (Growing hope in a shelter) 17 January 2018 Daisy Morel llegó a Canóvanas de Carolina, donde vivía con su hija y sus dos nietas. “Perdí mi hogar con el huracán Irma, desde entonces vivo en un refugio”, cuenta. “Despues del huracán íbamos a regresar para limpiar la casa, pero de momento nos dijeron que no podíamos ir. Preguntamos porqué y nos contestaron: “Porque viene otro huracán” [...] Read full article (in Spanish)
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The American Red Cross reaches out to the most vulnerable families in Puerto Rico 2 January 2018 Touched by the difficult living conditions of Aide Robles and her family, who had been struggling during three months without electricity and running water, volunteers from the Red Cross Spiritual Care team, with their partners from a local church organization, gave a hand to clean the house. This was their end of year present for this family with special needs [...] |
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Puerto Rico: Many still without basic necessities 20 November 2017 Almost two months after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, residents are still dealing with a lack of water and electricity and the struggle to find food. These seem to be the only topics on people’s minds anywhere you go in Puerto Rico right now. Despite some improvement in urban areas, lack of water, electricity and food is a major problem for hundreds of thousands of families [...] |
