It’s been a year since a trio of hurricanes wreaked havoc on Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, leaving a path of destruction, major power outages and many people without homes. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in quick succession, pummeled their targets over several days late last summer.
While most people are spending their Christmas break relaxing with family and friends, the cleanup work continues for people living across Florida, still recovering from this fall’s Hurricane Irma.
One of the hardest hit areas during Hurricane Irma was Immokalee, Florida, home to thousands of migrant farmworkers who pick the vegetables sold to restaurants and grocery chains across the country.
After changing its annual meeting location from Houston to Chicago due to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, members of the Cuba Partners Network found themselves listening to reports from their Cuban friends recounting Hurricane Irma’s slow, spinning assault on their beloved Cuba on Sept. 8.
Hurricane Irma may be gone, but the aftermath of its path across Florida is still being felt by residents, businesses and churches. FLAPDAN (Florida Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Network) held a conference call with the state’s six presbyteries and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance on Wednesday to get a general assessment of the needs in each area.
Mientras el Huracán Harvey todavía estaba en el suelo en Texas, el Programa Presbiteriana de Asistencia en Desastres (PDA) estaba preparándose para la próxima gran tormenta, el Huracán Irma. PDA ha estado ocupado continuamente con tormentas catastróficas en las últimas dos semanas.
While Hurricane Harvey was still on the ground in Texas, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance was preparing for the next big storm, Hurricane Irma. PDA has been busy with back-to-back catastrophic storms in the past two weeks. On Wednesday, the Category 5 Irma, packing winds of 185 mph, tore through the northern Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands, as well as Puerto Rico. PDA has been in constant communication with communities in its path.