Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief

Hey everyone! I am excited and honored to announce that I will be traveling to Puerto Rico to assist with Hurricane Maria relief! I will spend two weeks (April 23 – May 6) in Yabucoa, in the South-Eastern Region of the island. This is the where Hurricane Maria made first landfall in PR, and one of the most devastated regions of the island. My team will initially focus on debris removal, mucking and gutting of homes, small roofing and tarping work, chainsaw work, minor repair and small demolition work. We will work eight hours a day/six days a week on-site. We will be staying in an old school building, volunteers will sleep side by side on air mattresses on the floor – the facility has been described as “rustic”. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans in PR have been living this way since September.

My trip is entirely self-funded – I need to provide my own transportation to/from PR, as well as Yabucoa (appx. 2 hours from airport), as well as bedding, food, job-site supplies, etc. Any donations I receive that are not used to pay for my direct expenses will be donated to the local community before I depart. I will also be bringing extra clothing and supplies to donate. I greatly appreciate any support you are able to provide, whether financial or supplies. I will post updates as I make arrangements and connect with fellow volunteers. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to know more about the program!

Thank you,

Kathryn

Hurricane Maria is regarded as the worst natural disaster on record in Puerto Rico. The tenth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide of 2017. Maria was a Category 5 Hurricane which hit Puerto Rico on September 20, causing 499 deaths and catastrophic damage / flooding. The electrical grid was damaged; overall damage is estimated at $94.4 billion.

https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/