For this entry I’m focusing on taking a look into how religious institutions such as churches have responded to disasters in PR. Due to their independent nature, much like other local non-profit organizations committed to different social and political causes, churches have also been very important in recovery efforts. In my personal experience, I saw how both activist orgs and churches came together during Maria’s aftermath in order to address the needs of the population in a more effective and widespread way than if everyone worked independently.

For this entry, I’ll talk about the efforts of a church in the municipality of Mayagüez, Iglesia La Viña de Mayagüez. The main pastor, Marvin Suarez, consented to provide information regarding the church’s efforts after the various disasters that have effected PR starting with Hurricane Maria. We had a conversation where we spoke a bit about what the church is currently doing and how it was reacting to this series of disasters.

Marvin expressed how Hurricane Maria has changed his way of thinking in regards to how to approach communities in need. I remember how the church sprung into action following Maria and he expressed how after the experience and all the difficulties PR encountered in recovery, he thought “We need to be ready for the next one.” What in Hurricane Maria began as supplying clean water for the community, rushing to maintain the power plant running to have the church building available for the use of the community and as a planning center to distribute resources and rally people for home reconstructions, and networking with various churches and organizations both in and out of PR for the assistance of the many neighborhoods in need, has led Pastor Marvin to continue long after Maria trying to equip the church building to function with various services for the community in case of another emergency like Maria. Thankfully, he and other church leaders thought ahead. For the arrival of Hurricane Fiona, the church was well equipped enough to get working the day after Fiona hit.

The time in between was one of trial and error and he reflected upon how these highlighted the realities of PR. One of the best examples I can provide right now has been the church’s experience getting a hang on the most effective way to utilize the church’s diesel-run power plant. When the area the church was located in had its electricity restored, the AEE (Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica) warned the church that the wires being used were provisional and so the power plant of the church could not be used to power the entirety of the church, or else a fire would occur. Not expecting that leaving the plant on standby with a certain setting would end up powering the entire building, when the electricity was out again after its restoration (as it usually does), the plant automatically started powering everything. Marvin and his wife were in the building doing paperwork that occasion and were yet to notice anything until another church member who had come in to help ran in telling them a fire was starting. Luckily they caught it on time and were able to use their fire extinguishers. While he says that they laugh about the experience now, it was definitely a scary event when it happened. This story reminded me of a video I saw a few months ago on social media, of a neighborhood in PR, with many streets in flames do to the electrical system being unable to keep up with the usage of power plants in the neighborhood.

During Hurricane Maria, because the church had a power plant, they bought a washer and dryer which they made accessible to the community. Throughout the years leading up to Hurricane Fiona, they had equipped an area of the Church with enough washers and dryers to essentially have a “laundromat service” for the community during Fiona’s aftermath where people could leave their clothes while church members washed and dried, and community members could then go and utilize the other services available in the church such as food and electricity to charge their devices. This “laundromat service” is actually still running today, it’s mainly used by local college students.

The church also assisted during Maria with house reconstructions, furniture donations (also during Fiona), and consistently helps with groceries during times of crisis, or when there’s someone in need of it.

As of today, Marvin is working towards building a storage space for the Church to be able to preserve and store larger amounts of food and to be able to have things like furniture ready for donation. He mentions how various times he’s been offered furniture items that he knows other people could use but he has nowhere to store it in the meantime and many of the items end up being thrown away.

When remembering Fiona, Marvin thinks back to how once the Hurricane passed, many of his church members began calling asking “What are we going to do?” They were ready to begin aiding in the community. He stated that the truly intense week for the church was the first week, by the second week, people had to return to their regular jobs. As he said these things, I couldn’t help but feel angry at the circumstances Puerto Ricans are forced into. Hurricane Fiona was a devastating event much like Maria, complete with the long-term power outage, a lack of clean water accessibility, and stranded communities around PR due to destroyed roads and bridges, yet Puerto Ricans were expected to continue their lives around the chaos rather than addressing the dire circumstances of the people; once again, restoration falling on the shoulders of a people struggling. Aftershocks highlights the way Puerto Ricans are, what can only be described as, “marketed” (these are my own words) as a “resilient” people by both the local and federal government, capable of continuing their lives under total chaos, abandonment, and unlivable wages, and this expectation to return to normalcy a week after Fiona’s devastation without even providing the people with electricity or clean water is just another disgusting iteration of the abandonment of the people and the disaster capitalism being imposed upon the people of PR.

Marvin points out how the church and PR needs to continue to prepare for the next event and how organizations around the island need to be open to working with each other for the benefit of the people. He emphasizes the need to take care of the community. Marvin points out how climate change will continue to make natural events stronger and PR has to be ready.