Puerto Rico Recovery

Puerto Rico was hit hard consecutively by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. A large portion of the homes and businesses on the island were destroyed. After visiting the island a month after the hurricane, we knew the Puerto Rico recovery efforts would take an extended period of time and a substantial amount of money.

We are genuinely concerned for the residents of Puerto Rico. There were an abundant amount of fundraisers held throughout the United States to help with the recovery process. Natura followed suit and conducted an in-house fundraiser to help the people of Puerto Rico. The staff of Natura donated funds to help with the revitalization from the devastation.

Homes lay in ruin as seen from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, Black Hawk during a flyover of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria September 23, 2017. U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo by Kris Grogan

HUD Awards Funding to help recover from Hurricanes

The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded more than $1.5 billion to help Puerto Rico recover from the Hurricanes. The funds were provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grants. This funding is meant to help with long term improvements.

The funding helps but will not cover the devastation. This is an opportunity for Puerto Rico to rethink their electrical, water and wastewater systems as a whole for sustainability down the road. Sustainable infrastructure must be incorporated into recovery efforts.

Natura working in Puerto Rico

Natura has been working in Puerto Rico for several years on affordable housing. We have performed Architectural Document and Cost Reviews on numerous apartment buildings. We have also visited the island on a monthly basis to perform inspections on the buildings to report on the progress of the construction. We are thankful that the apartments that have recently been completed or near completion did not sustain much damage. Construction workers were able to keep on executing their efforts shortly after the hurricanes passed.

Recently, Casey Gerken, one of Natura’s Architectural Consultants, visited the island to perform a monthly construction inspection. He spoke with some of the local people of Puerto Rico. One woman discussed how her home was without power for a month and her children’s school was closed for six weeks. She mentioned that she was happy with how the United States responded and said they did a great job getting relief supplies to the island.

Mr. Gerken said the recovery efforts were ongoing. Many electric crews were running new lines and construction crews were renovating damaged buildings. The airport was very busy, and the indoor renovations were completed. Tourism is up and running but many of the resorts are still working diligently on their restorations.

We want to help you

NAC wants to help be part of the reconstruction, because #WeLoveBuildings and we love our clients and friends in Puerto Rico. If you are looking for a committed and dedicated team to complete any due diligence or property inspections, please contact Natura. We want to be a part of the solution.