OUR SUPPORT ACROSS
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
CORE began working in Puerto Rico in 2017 to address the immediate needs of communities impacted by Hurricane Maria. When COVID-19 hit the island, CORE supported equitable distribution of the vaccine and mobilized resources to reach vulnerable populations. Then, in September 2022, when more than one million people lost access to potable water and electricity across the island during Hurricane Fiona, CORE responded.
OUR RESPONSE
Puerto Rico, 2022
Hurricane Fiona
1,720
people supplied with solar lamps and chargers
500
roof tarps distributed
In September 2022, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico, dumping over two feet of rain in some locations. In the immediate aftermath, the entire island lost electricity, leaving a million people without access to clean water.
Areas of Puerto Rico’s southwest region near Ponce were heavily impacted, with mountain communities severely affected by mudslides and debris.
CORE’s Response to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico
CORE coordinated with partners Elevance, Mail from Heaven, GoGo Foundation, Ponce Medical School Foundation, and Adecco as well as the government to support those most impacted by Hurricane Fiona.
We monitored gaps to offer relief to families impacted by landslides. We conducted home repairs, distributed tarps, hydration packets, cooler bags for insulin storage, generators, and hired staff to assist with FEMA applications. This multifaceted approach by CORE provided immediate relief and established a foundation for sustainable resilience for future disasters.
Puerto Rico, 2017
Hurricane Maria
In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean, quickly becoming one of the worst and deadliest natural disasters in the region. The Category 5 hurricane claimed nearly 3,000 lives and caused over $90 billion in damages.
CORE’s Response To Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
Following Hurricane Maria, CORE assisted hard-hit towns in Puerto Rico and Antigua and Barbuda by identifying urgent construction needs to help communities safely rebuild. CORE worked in Rincón to identify solutions for their damaged potable water system, while also conducting comprehensive architectural needs assessments throughout the island’s most impacted regions.
Puerto Rico, 2020
COVID-19 Response
9,000
vaccines administrated
COVID-19 exposed the harsh realities of Puerto Rico’s overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure that left many residents without access to life-saving care.
The island experienced shortages in hospital beds, ventilators, and essential medical resources. This was further exacerbated by an exodus of local physicians from the island to the mainland U.S. after Hurricane Maria in 2017, which delayed the recovery of patients in local hospitals and urgent care facilities.
Remote areas of the island, such as Loíza, Comerío, and Ponce, which were hit hard by Hurricane Maria and remain geographically vulnerable to disaster, were particularly affected amid this scarcity of crucial medical resources.