An interesting resource for disaster news and humanitarian information on crises around the world, Relief Web, has published a report on FEMA efforts in Puerto Rico recovery efforts post Hurricane Maria. A digital service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Relief Web is based in New York, Bangkok and Nairobi, monitoring emergency management and disaster resources on a global level.
The report points to progress in terms of recovery efforts, and a need for ongoing examination of Puerto Rico’s needs. “The government of Puerto Rico, volunteer agencies, and local and federal partners, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will continue to work together to ensure all missions are completed and objectives are met so that Puerto Rico can create a new normal in the coming weeks, days, and years ahead,” says the report.
Since Hurricane Maria struck the area on September 20, devastating much of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, relief efforts have come from a variety of public and private sources. These include celebrity chef Jose Andres (who flew his team to the hardest hit areas to churn out more than 2.2 million hot meals and sandwiches as of Oct. 30, setting up supply chains with local chefs and resources in an ongoing effort) and musical impresario Lin-Manuel Miranda, who funded relief efforts through a star-studded, “Feed The World” style song, Almost Like Praying. ““It’s part of a larger trend we’re starting to see with corporations and individuals who are applying their unique skill sets to solve problems after a disaster,” Bob Ottenhoff, president and chief executive of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, told The New York Times.
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Additional Reading:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/dining/jose-andres-puerto-rico.html?smid=tw-share
