Puerto Rico’s crisis hotline has seen exponential growth in demand over the past two years, reaching over 900,000 calls in 2020, compared to 170,000 in 2019, according to news organization Noticel. Since Hurricane María struck the island in 2017, leaving parts of the island without power for up to a year, and causing massive economic […]
Author Archives: Ana Umpierre
Hurricane Fiona: Responding Where the Rivers Met the Sea
September 2022 marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane María, Puerto Rico’s worst storm in decades, but instead of remembering that event, Puerto Ricans experienced an unwelcomed “deja vu” when a weaker (but much wetter) Hurricane Fiona ravaged the southern and central regions of the island. Over 30 inches of rain and historic storm surges caused […]
Hurricane Fiona Update: Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona response, by the numbers: Aid from Puerto Rico’s Emergency Response Hub reaches Caribbean countries The situation: After Hurricane María in 2017, Direct Relief established a regional disaster response hub with warehouse capabilities in Puerto Rico, where relief supplies are kept in stock and emergency response personnel are ready for immediate dispatch during emergencies in the Caribbean region. The response: Before […]
Hurricane Fiona Update: Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona response, by the numbers: Aid from Puerto Rico’s Emergency Response Hub reaches Caribbean countries The situation: After Hurricane María in 2017, Direct Relief established a regional disaster response hub with warehouse capabilities in Puerto Rico, where relief supplies are kept in stock and emergency response personnel are ready for immediate dispatch during emergencies in the Caribbean region. The response: Before […]
For People Experiencing Homelessness in Puerto Rico, A New Approach to Treatment, Reintegration
Ronald Torres Joglar lost his home after a vertebral fracture disabled him. “I could not handle the pain,” said Torres, who lived on the streets for a year. “That’s when I began using fentanyl to relieve the pain.” Before that, he hadn’t used drugs for 14 years. Torres sought help and was referred to the […]
Puerto Rico’s Newest Disaster-Fighting Tool Works Even When the Power Goes Out
When Hurricane Maria raged through Puerto Rico, it knocked out the island’s power grid, which in turn left the vast majority of its wireless cell sites out of service. This was a serious problem for community health centers trying to respond to the storm and provide care to patients. For example, if a health center […]
In Puerto Rico, Volunteer First Responders Save Lives in Their Spare Time
Isabel de Lourdes Bonnin Pérez works three part-time jobs as a paramedic. For many people, that would probably be enough. But in her spare time, she’s also a volunteer paramedic with Puerto Rico’s First Response Emergency Medical Services (FREMS). “Once you get a taste of it, you can’t leave,” she said of her volunteer work. […]
Resiliency Projects Successfully Withstand Puerto Rico’s Energy Emergency
San Juan, Puerto Rico – A recent fire at a major Puerto Rico power plant plunged the island into darkness. But a series of Direct Relief projects, undertaken in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria with the hope of increasing resilience in Puerto Rico, kept connected health centers, fire stations, and remote communities operational […]
On Puerto Rico’s Roofs, Renewable Energy Brings Employment for Women
When Raquel Robledo, a retired agronomist, was invited to participate in a training program on renewable energy, she jumped at the chance. “I wasn’t sure I was going to get picked because of my age. I was aware that this was a program aimed at women entering the workforce and…I am happily retired,” she explained. […]
In Puerto Rico, Bringing Covid-19 Vaccines on the Road
When graduate nurse Jeanette Martínez signed up to work as a contact tracer, she wasn’t prepared for the intensity of the job – or the emotional support patients would need. “There was a lot of sadness and loneliness” among the people she spoke to on the phone, she said. Dealing with that was part of […]