Puerto Rico: 100 Days after Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Irma, almost immediately followed by the even more massive Hurricane Maria, brought widespread disaster and devastation the island of Puerto Rico in September 2017. One-hundred days after the storms, families are still trying to rebuild their homes, which were destroyed by water and wind damage, and electricity hasn’t been restored to many places.
While much progress has been made, there’s still more work to do, and completely rebuilding across the island is predicted to take years.
The New York Foundling, which had 42 Head Start sites throughout Puerto Rico before the storm, continues to make headway in educating the nearly 1,500 kids who are in its Early Head Start and Head Start programs, as well as meeting a variety of other needs across communities.
Thanks to our incredibly optimistic and motivated staff in Puerto Rico, an outpouring of donor support resulting in more than $110,000, and an organization-wide dedication to our employees and the families we serve, we’ve seen progress.
We’ve been able to reopen about 19 of our sites. In the areas where our offices and classrooms aren’t open, The Foundling is providing home-based services to families who want it.
But the island is still struggling as a whole.
We will continue to assess the needs of the communities we serve, make visits to our sites and staff, and help where needed.
Please consider aiding those still striving for normalcy in Puerto Rico. Every donation helps our families gain access to education, healthy and regular meals, as well as safe and stable homes.
Click here to make a donation to The New York Foundling’s Puerto Rico Relief Fund.
Related posts:
- Guest Blog: First-Hand from The New York Foundling in Puerto Rico
- An Update on The Foundling’s Recovery Efforts in Puerto Rico
- 5 Ways You Can Help Puerto Rico After Devastating Hurricanes
