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.
eaching remote, mountainous communities in the western part of Puerto Rico can be challenging. Downed trees and power lines along with mudslides have kept many roads closed. But for the narrow roads that are open, there is barely enough room for one car.
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.
Doris Garcia Rivera, president of the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, remembers how grateful she was, standing on the stage at a meeting of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board earlier this year in Puerto Rico.
When Tony De La Rosa, the agency’s interim executive director, presented a $10,000 DREAM Grant check to the Synod of Puerto Rico for use by the seminary, Garcia Rivera was ecstatic.
