For most of last week, leaders from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and the co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018), made their way across Puerto Rico to listen, learn and share with congregations impacted by Hurricane Maria.
A recent Harvard University study about Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico reflects the tragic situation that Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has reported on since responding to the disaster.
Un nuevo estudio de la Escuela de Salud Pública T.H. Chan en Harvard estima que el número de muertes durante y después del huracán María puede estar cerca de 4,600 o más. El estudio, publicado esta semana en el New England Journal of Medicine, sugiere que la falta de acceso a la atención médica y a las necesidades básicas pueden haber sido factores que contribuyeron a esta situación.
A new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health estimates the death toll during and after Hurricane Maria may be closer to 4,600 or more. The study, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests access to medical care and basic needs may have been contributing factors.
Power comes and goes in parts of Puerto Rico that are still recovering from last fall’s devastating Hurricane Maria. While electricity and running water are slowly coming back to communities across the island, the long list of repairs, updates and recovery will keep volunteers and disaster officials busy for years.
It has been eight months since Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, and the recovery work continues. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been working with its partners on the island to provide financial assistance to churches and their congregations and plan for long-term recovery efforts.
La electricidad viene y va en partes de Puerto Rico que todavía se están recuperando del devastador huracán María del otoño pasado. Mientras que la electricidad y el agua potable regresan lentamente a las comunidades de la isla, la larga lista de reparaciones, actualizaciones y recuperación mantendrá ocupados al voluntariado y funcionarios de desastres durante años.
Power comes and goes in parts of Puerto Rico that are still recovering from last fall’s devastating Hurricane Maria. While electricity and running water are slowly coming back to communities across the island, the long list of repairs, updates and recovery will keep volunteers and disaster officials busy for years.
May the joy of the risen Christ be yours on this Easter Sunday! As we celebrate Christ’s victory over death, we can take delight in the hope it gives and in the new humanity that has been created. We are blessed to participate in this new way of living and bear witness to its life-changing reality.
Even before Hurricane Maria made landfall in September 2017, the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo and other Presbyterian leaders in Puerto Rico received promises of help from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).