Fandom Trumps Hate

It is estimated that by 2075, the costs associated with hurricane damage in the US will rise from $28 billion in 2016 (0.16% of the US GDP) to the equivalent of roughly $39 billion in today’s economy (0.22% of the US GDP).(1) By another estimation from disaster research scientists, the devastating hurricane season of 2017 measures total damages of approximately $206.6 billion, calling it the most damaging hurricane season in US history.(2) Hurricane María, the second of two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico in 2017, was one of the deadliest and costliest disasters of any kind in modern history. Tens of thousands of Puerto Rican families lost their homes and livelihoods, and 2975 people lost their lives as a result of the natural disaster.(3)

Hurricane María caused Puerto Rico’s entire electrical grid to fail. After 3 months, 65% of affected customers had power restored, but Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable communities were left without power for over five months.(4) (5) Water systems were inoperable, with 91% back in service after 2 months. Debris from María and 41,000 resulting landslides shut down all but 400 miles of Puerto Rico’s 16,700 miles of roads, cutting off municipalities across the island. Today, the roads are clear and traffic is moving. María knocked out 95% of cellular sites; after 2 months, 96% were once again operational. In it rebuilding efforts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has thus far awarded Puerto Rico with $20 billion for HUD Community Development Disaster Recovery; approved $5.3 billion in public assistance, nearly $600 million for the Department of Education and $294 million in community disaster loans; run $3.6 billion worth of USACE mission assignments; and is obligated to giving $8.5 million through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.(4)

Puerto Rico is classified as an “unincorporated territory” of the US, meaning the island belongs to the US and is eligible for aid and federal funding. But Puerto Rico has not fully recovered: over a year on, complaints persist of unreliable power, damaged roads and suspect water, and hundreds of thousands of people are still waiting for help, living in homes that are in desperate need of repair.(6) (7) It is estimated that it would cost at least $17 billion just to fix Puerto Rico’s power grid: the rebuilding efforts needs more funds. Yet Trump has not only said he wants to stop sending federal relief money to Puerto Rico, he has also proposed taking back some of the money already allocated.(7) This comes after Trump’s repeated minimisation of the scale of destruction wrought by María and insults about the Puerto Rican government, including the refusal to acknowledge the official death count as anything but a Democrat plot to make him look bad, and the suggestion that Hurricane María was “not a real catastrophe”.(3) (7)

Before María, ConPRMetidos (ConPR) was a think-and-do-tank which focused primarily on identifying an enabling strategic partnerships, engaging and connecting Puerto Rican millennials and establishing a network of human capital, and helping the development of knowledge, skills, values and motivation in target communities on the island. When the devastating hurricanes swept across Puerto Rico, ConPR evolved with a new sense of purpose: To create a stable, productive, and self-sufficient Puerto Rico.(8) ConPR’s mission for equitable and systemic change is enabled by:

1. Identifying innovative and sustainable solutions to community challenges
2. Leveraging diaspora and global know-how, talent, networks, and capital in support of those doing the work
3. Empowering doers to succeed and inspire a better future
4. Enabling the formation of strategic partnerships and the exchange of new information, models and ideas(9)

ConPR established the Hurricane Real Time Recovery Fund with the fiscal sponsorship of Foundation for Puerto Rico, and has been tirelessly working on funding grants, programs and ongoing projects to:

• Support alternative and reliable energy systems for Puerto Rican communities with limited access to electricity.
• Provide clean water and renewable energy for critical nonprofits serving multiple neighborhoods and surrounding communities.
• Keep domestic violence survivors safe after the storm.
• Address toxic waste build up in the island's landfills, waterways and green areas.
• Power up small businesses in eight island cities and towns.
• Develop and support an online platform for data collection and improved accuracy in the assessment of post-disaster relief and recovery needs, plus real-time volunteer coordination and activation across the island.
• Provide immediate relief to remote communities via food distribution.
• Provide a "crash course" to Puerto Rican leaders on how to deploy effective and sustainable recovery efforts.
• Rehabilitate the island's mountainous coffee regions, as nearly 85% of the island's coffee farms were wiped out.
• Aid specific communities and rebuilding efforts in various ways.

Altogether, ConPR has organised and facilitated the distribution a total of $1.7 million in funding as of the end of 2018. It has helped countless people rebuild their lives, and continues to do so in the face of the threats of the Trump administration.

ConPRMetidos is a tax deductible 501(c)3 non-partisan charitable organisation.

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Citations:

[1] “Potential Increases in Hurricane Damage in the United States: Implications for the Federal Budget.” Congressional Budget Office, 2 June 2016, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/51518.
[2] Masters, Dr. Jeff. “2017 U.S. Hurricane Damage Estimate of $206.6 Billion: Highest on Record.” Weather Underground, 28 Nov. 2017, https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/2017-us-hurricane-damages-206-billion-highest-record.
[3] Miller, Hayley. “Donald Trump Denies That 3,000 People Died In Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria.” Huffington Post, 13 Sept. 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-denies-puerto-rico-death-toll_us_5b9a5b1fe4b015089c0dfdad.
[4] “Hurricane Maria”, Federal Emergency Management Agency, https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-maria.
[5] “ConPR 2018 Impact Report.” ConPRMetidos, Dec. 2018, https://www.conprmetidos.org/s/ConPR_2018ImpactReport_Dec18.pdf.
[6] “Trump says he did great after Maria. In a survey, Puerto Ricans say otherwise.” The Washington Post, 12 Sept. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-says-he-did-great-after-maria-in-a-survey-puerto-ricans-say-otherwise/2018/09/12/d0449b3e-b6bb-11e8-a2c5-3187f427e253_story.html?utm_term=.3a7470e97a0b.
[7] Visser, Nick. “Trump Wants To End Hurricane Maria Relief Funding To Puerto Rico: Report.” Huffington Post, 12 Nov. 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-funding-puerto-rico_us_5be911fee4b0dbe871ac9c03.
[8] “Our Story.” ConPRMetidos, https://www.conprmetidos.org/our-story/.
[9] “Our Mission.” ConPRMetidos, https://www.conprmetidos.org/our-mission.