SBP Puerto Rico has helped 110 families rebuild after Hurricane María
In the three years since arriving to Puerto Rico, nonprofit organization SBP and its volunteers continue to rebuild the island after the damage inflicted by Hurricane María.
“So far the organization has been able to help more than 110 Puerto Rican families who lost their homes after the impact of María, but we’re aware that there’s still much work to be done on the island,” said Edgardo Maldonado, executive director of SPB Puerto Rico.
“We have a pending list of more than 250 families with need and we continue to call for volunteers to be part of the recovery work,” he said.
SBP Puerto Rico said it is moving ahead with reducing the time between disaster and recovery by rebuilding the homes of the families most affected by Maria’s onslaught.
The nonprofit said it contributes to this mission of recovery and resilience by educating on preparing for future atmospheric events and advocating for reform of disaster recovery strategies in the US to improve predictability and speed of recovery.
The entity is also tasked with advising policy makers immediately after a disaster so that they can use federal resources effectively, representatives said.
The SBP model is “greatly enhanced” by AmeriCorps members, who serve as client case managers, volunteer coordinators, and construction supervisors. So far they oversee the work of more than 30,000 volunteers annually at SBP’s operations in the U.S. mainland.
With the support of donors, volunteers and corporate partners, the organization has grown from a volunteer team of three to a national organization based in New Orleans and recognized as a leader in resilience and disaster recovery. Its commitment continues and is “now looking for new donors and partners who wish to join the commitment to help the island,” representatives said.
