While the official death toll is listed at 64, unofficial accounts have it significantly higher at more than a thousand. Puerto Rico has had homes, schools and other buildings destroyed. The hurricane dismantled the island’s electricity and communications system and cut off more than 3 million men, women and children from crucial humanitarian assistance. Residents were cut off without food, water, electricity or shelter from the harsh weather conditions.

More than six month later, the rest of the world has moved on to the latest news, but Puerto Rico is still struggling with the aftermath of this monstrous storm. Children and families live in roofless, severely water-damaged homes with exposed power lines, crumbling walls and empty food pantries. They stand in long lines waiting to purchase food, water and other basic necessities, with no guarantee of getting what they need. Nearly 200,000 people are still without electricity, unable to heat or cool their homes, store food properly or accomplish day-to-day tasks.

Salesian missionaries have six communities in Puerto Rico, including two in San Juan and one in each of the communities of Catano, Aíbonito, Aguadilla and Orocovis. Salesian sisters are also working in the communities of Aguadilla, Orocovis and Santurce. Because Salesian missionaries and sisters are living in the communities in which they work, they were among the first to respond with shelter and humanitarian relief, even when their own buildings and facilities were affected.

“If there’s a way to help, we’ll always find it,” says Sister Magna Martinez, a Salesian missionary serving at Colegio Maria Auxiliadore (Mary Help of Christians) in San Juan. Sr. Martinez and her colleagues remain passionately committed to helping the countless families who lost everything in the storm. Her words reflect the Salesians’ faith and tenacity, even as official relief efforts fall significantly short in meeting the ongoing and widespread need.

Back in September, immediately after the storm’s danger had passed, Sr. Martinez and her colleagues ventured into the streets of San Juan to assess damage and minister to victims. “When we saw their homes, our hearts were crushed,” recalls Sr. Martinez. “We didn’t have much to offer but realized: We have the school. We have the cafeteria. We can clean it all out and host as many people as we can.”

In those initial, chaotic days, Maria Auxiliadore filled with children and families with nowhere else to go. A similar scene played out across the island. Salesian missionaries opened their doors to both victims who needed help and to organizations seeking a central, trusted location to distribute it. In the community of Cantera, for example, volunteers from the Salesian youth center accompanied Father Carlos Piantini into the streets, visiting 500 families whose homes had been destroyed and delivering what small items of relief they had on hand.

“According to residents, Fr. Piantini and his volunteers were the first people to show up,” says Franklin Ortega, executive director of the Don Bosco Salesian Foundation, who toured Puerto Rico with Father Francisco Batista, provincial of the Antilles region, after the hurricane.

In Orocovis, Ortega reports missionaries lent space to the Department of Family Services, whose building was destroyed by the storm. From these new headquarters, officials were able to assist local residents (as many as 4,000 of whom desperately needed emergency shelter). And in Aguadilla, Sr. Maritza Ortiz and her fellow missionaries from Casa Juan Bosco fanned into the surrounding neighborhoods, checking on residents—especially the elderly and those who lived alone.

That help remains crucial, even now. Sisters Martinez and Ortiz continue to provide food, clothing, small household items and even mattresses to those who have yet to recover from Maria’s damage.

Karla, for example, is a mother of two whose family still lives in a home that would likely be condemned on the mainland. Yesenia struggles to meet basic needs for herself and her young son Jordan, who remains traumatized by the storm. And Doris suffers from a respiratory illness that requires supplemental oxygen—something she can’t always use, because electricity to her home is sporadic. Today, all three women persevere, in part, because of Salesian missionaries.

Although they are not students at the school, Karla’s children have found respite at Maria Auxiliadore while their mother works to rebuild. There, they enjoy meals, clothes and relief from worry as they play games with their peers. Missionaries have released videos of their ongoing work on the island.

Far too many residents still struggle to restore a sense of normalcy to their lives, which has been challenged by the absence of adequate assistance. Officials estimate that it will take billions of dollars, and perhaps decades of effort, to rebuild Puerto Rico’s infrastructure and economy. And it’s difficult to see where the money will come from, when traditional means of income—agriculture, tourism and manufacturing—have been crippled, if not completely destroyed. For this reason, missionaries also hope to leverage their local relationships in order to connect families with the resources they need, including financial assistance for purchasing materials to reconstruct their homes.

In response to the overwhelming need, Salesian Missions has launched its Puerto Rico Fund. Those who want to support these efforts are urged to make a donation online at salesianmissions.org/prhurricane.

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Sources:

ANS – Puerto Rico – Hurricane Maria damages thousands of homes and the Salesians prepare to help

ANS – Puerto Rico – The worst was not the hurricane, but the floods, the destruction and the lack of communications

New York Times – Puerto Rico’s Positive Business Slogans Can’t Keep the Lights On

USA Today – 6 months after Hurricane Maria, life in Puerto Rico is better — but will ‘never be normal again’

The post PUERTO RICO: Salesian Missions launches Puerto Rico hurricane fundraising campaign to aid ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Puerto Rico has had homes, schools, and buildings destroyed. Thousands of people remain in shelters because their homes have been destroyed. Government officials fear without water and power that a dire humanitarian crisis looms. It’s been reported that it can take up to six months to restore these services to parts of the island.

Salesian missionaries have six Salesian communities in Puerto Rico including two in San Juan and one in the communities of Catano, Aíbonito, Aguadilla and Orocovis. Salesian sisters are also working in the communities of Aguadilla, Orocovis and Santurce. Salesian missionaries are reporting that all communities have been affected. Information has been coming in slowly with assessments of damage to both Salesian facilities and in their surrounding communities. Roofs have been damaged as well as trees uprooted and other property damage. Like many of the surrounding homes and businesses, Salesian houses, youth centers and educational facilities lack electricity and running water.

“Puerto Rico has been devastated by the hurricane and many people have lost their homes and their livelihoods,” explains Father Adan Marrero, a Salesian missionary in Puerto Rico. “Salesians have also suffered damage to infrastructure, sports grounds, schools and community residences, but all our colleagues and our beneficiaries are safe. We will continue to support our communities with shelter and food and other supplies as they are available, and we will be here for the long haul of rebuilding.”

Salesian Father Jorge Santiago from the Salesian Center in Cantera was able to communicate the needs in San Juan at this time. He noted the community was in need of medications, canned food, drinking water, mattresses and bed linens, and wood. Other Salesian communities are expressing the same needs. Salesian missionaries have been able to distribute bottles of water, clothing and other limited food supplies as they become available.

Within the Salesian community of San Juan Bautista in Orocovis, Salesian missionaries have two parishes, 11 chapels and a youth center. A river traverses the entire city and in the wake of the hurricane, flash flooding and mudslides destroyed all types of buildings, including the parish church and several buildings in its path. The three Salesian missionaries living in the community have been working hand in hand with the community, receiving people and opening their spaces to the Department of Family Services, who lost its building and require a place to coordinate and assist residents of Orocovis. It has been reported that 3,000 homes were affected in the first hours of the hurricane and at its peak point close to 4,000 people were in shelters. The Salesian community is in need of two electric generators and three cisterns on the roofs to supply water, among other needs.

The Salesian community and parish of St. Francis de Sales of Cataño is located 40km from San Juan. Two Salesian missionaries reside at this house and have the parish church and four chapels, all without electricity or running water. This community has found it very difficult to meet its food supply and fuel needs. The municipality of this district has set up a shelter in a nearby public high school for residents of this community that have lost their homes due to the heavy flooding. Salesian facilities in this community are also heavily damaged with roofs needing full repair, fallen trees and other debris on the properties, and other building damage. The Salesian community is in need of generators and water.

“Because Salesian missionaries live in the communities where they work, they are among the first to respond when disasters strike,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “They are also well experienced in handling the logistics of a humanitarian crisis and ensuring that relief supplies are accessed by those who need it most.”

In response to the several devastating hurricanes in 2017, including Hurricane Irma and Maria, Salesian Missions has launched a new hurricane fund to support Salesian programs in countries affected by these devastating storms. Those who want to support these efforts are urged to make a donation online at salesianmissions.org/give-hurricane.

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Sources:

CNN – About 1 million Americans without running water. 3 million without power. This is life one month after Hurricane Maria.

The post PUERTO RICO: Salesian missionaries continue to assess their own damage from Hurricane Maria while aiding community residents first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Residents are isolated, and even government officials and first responders are cut off from the outside world and struggling to assess the full scope of destruction to the island. CNN reports that the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration has confirmed that 4,000 members of the U.S. Army Reserves have been deployed to the island to help with Hurricane Maria recovery.

Salesian missionaries have six Salesian communities in Puerto Rick including two in San Juan and one in the communities of Catano, Aíbonito, Aguadilla and Orocovis. Salesian sisters are also working in the communities of Aguadilla, Orocovis and Santurce. Salesian missionaries are reporting that all communities have been affected. Information is challenging to get but what is known is that there are damages, including roof and water damage, to the physical structures in the Salesian centers of Cataño and Cantera in San Juan.

Because of the extensive communication challenges on the island, getting information to Salesian centers outside of Puerto Rico has been challenging. Salesians within Puerto Rico are having difficulty reaching one another. To date, there is still no word or updates from the Salesian communities of Aíbonito, Orocovis and Aguadilla.

“Puerto Rico has been devastated by the passage of the hurricane with 100 percent of the island without electricity. Many people have lost their homes,” explains Father Adan Marrero, a Salesian missionary in Puerto Rico, through a WhatsApp message. “The Salesians have suffered damage to infrastructure, sports grounds, schools and community residences, but we thank God for all the colleagues and our beneficiaries are safe.”

Fr. Marrero also sent some pictures of the parish house, the parish and San Francesco of Cataño. He also explained that calculating the cost of the damage is difficult at the present time because many transmission towers have fallen. They are without electricity so they are unable to truly assess the needs of the community.

Salesian Father Jorge Santiago from the Salesian Center in Cantera was able to communicate the needs in San Juan at this time. He noted the community was in need of medications, canned food, drinking water, mattresses and bed lines, and wood. As they are able, Salesian missionaries will continue to assess the needs of Salesian programs and the communities in which they serve and provide additional information about the relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

In response to the several devastating hurricanes in 2017, including Hurricane Irma and Maria, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco have launched a new hurricane fund to support Salesian programs in countries affected by these devastating storms. Those who want to support these efforts are urged to make a donation online at salesianmissions.org/give-hurricane.

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Sources:

ANS – Puerto Rico – Hurricane Maria damages thousands of homes and the Salesians prepare to help

ANS – Puerto Rico – The worst was not the hurricane, but the floods, the destruction and the lack of communications

CNN – Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico officials describe ‘apocalyptic’ conditions

The post PUERTO RICO: Millions affected by Hurricane Maria and in need of assistance, Salesian missionaries prepare to assist first appeared on MissionNewswire.