PUERTO RICO RELIEF

It's 5:50 AM in San Juan Airport. As I sit here nursing my hot coffee in an un-air-conditioned terminal, In fact its been a week of none of the comforts I'm used accustom to, my mind wanders to the moment I see my wife and kids again. Selfishly I dream of sleeping in my bed in an air-conditioned home that I don't have to worry about whether or not the roof will leak when it rains. As I wait for boarding to begin, face after face of the people we helped play through my head. One woman in particular comes to mind. It is the face of a woman rummaging through what she could salvage from what was left of her belongings.

When I first arrived on the island, the first thing I noticed besides the structural damage to homes and businesses, was that the island was very brown. The tropical vegetation had been stripped bare. The lush green mountains were now barren and exposed. The conditions were far worse than I had mentally prepared myself for. After meeting with our ground connection, we headed to Barrio Ingenio, Toa Baja. This community had been one of the hardest hit areas in all of Puerto Rico. The storm surge from Hurricane Maria flooded the neighboring river so that it rose to somewhere around 13ft. On top of the flooding, the high winds completely removed roofs and knocked down trees and power lines. We had come to deliver water, canned goods, flashlights, and hot meals but within minutes of arriving, we had found ourselves 20+ feet in the air trying to provide some temporary coverage on a home. 

During the storm, this particular home suffered flooding up to the second story. The residents sought shelter upstairs but it was no better. At some point during the storm, the roof was ripped off. The trusses were all that remained. Thankful to still have a home, the owner had asked us if we could provide some shelter by tarping her roof. We quickly climbed up and began working. As I peered across the neighborhood from my elevated vantage point, most of the residents were in a similar situation. As I was working I looked down and noticed the owner going through a plastic shopping bag. This bag was crudely used to protect her precious photos during the storm. She came across a picture of her child who passed away two decades earlier. It was her last remaining photo and it was completely destroyed. Visibly upset, one of our volunteers tried to comfort her with the words, “he will always live in your heart”. That day we were able to cover her bedroom and kitchen with the supplies we had. She and her husband had been sleeping in the house so they were thankful not to be completely exposed to the elements anymore. 

That week we traveled from Toa Baja to Caguas to Humacao and places in between, this scenario played out over and over again. The recovery process will be a long tough road for the residents of Puerto Rico. But they are not alone. On a small island in the Caribbean God's kingdom was in full display. People helping people and communities coming together. So many residents putting their needs aside to help others. We also encountered others who traveled from different states to be part of the relief effort. 

Thanks to your generosity, Act to A.C.T. was able to give hope and provide resources to so many affected by this storm. Your donations helped us touch over one thousand families! Wow! It doesn't stop there. Act to A.C.T. continues to resource other organizations and individuals that are currently working on the island. We are also planning on working at a local level with families relocating from Puerto Rico. On our last day, God reminded me He mends what is broken and makes all thing new. I noticed that some of those barren trees had started turning green again.