On September 24, Dr. Anna Hayward along with research colleagues Dr. Mellie Torres and Alejandro Siva Diaz were set to present their Natural Hazard’s funded study, Natural Hazards Center || ¡Estamos Bien, Puerto Rico!, in San Juan at the Latin American Studies Association Puerto Rico section conference. Their study explored the impact of compounding disasters on young adults in Puerto Rico. Their presentation would have examined disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and the pandemic, but the conference was canceled by another devastating natural disaster.
Hurricane Fiona struck the archipelago of Puerto Rico on September 18, almost 5 years after another devastating blow to the island: Hurricane Maria in 2017. Hurricane Maria was a catastrophic disaster that the island archipelago has yet to fully recover from, and that recovery has now been exacerbated by another disaster. Fiona left island-wide blackouts, no running water, and catastrophic flooding in its wake. As of September 20, 80% of Puerto Ricans still were without water and 60% of households were without running water. Now, almost two weeks later, about 349,000 Puerto Ricans remain without power and at least a hundred thousand people are still without water. The power crisis may last longer than expected, as Fiona destroyed the Puerto Rican power grid. Read more about the water crisis that hurricane Fiona caused in Puerto Rico here and more about their power loss here.
Thankfully, to aid in the aftermath of this disaster, there are several established local organizations that are currently on the ground in Puerto Rico. These grassroots organizations work with local communities on their recovery efforts. Some of the organizations are: Taller Salud, Comedores Sociales de Puerto Rico, and Fondita de Jesus. Click to see how you can help.
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Dr. Hayward’s research focuses on environmental justice and the impact of climate change and natural disasters on vulnerable communities. She is currently developing a review of community resilience activism in Puerto Rico with Dr. Miguel Munoz-Laboy and first year MSW student Zerina Makhdoomi. Dr. Hayward also teaches an elective on environmental justice in social work.
