Puerto Rico Hurricane Recovery Build

DAYS 1-2 — SAN JUAN · The Staging Hub

Participants arrive at the community recovery hub in Río Piedras and meet their crew leads — local contractors and tradespeople who've coordinated rebuilds since María, Fiona, and every storm since. Day 1 is orientation: assessing roof-repair priorities flagged by the Puerto Rico-based crew dispatcher, sorting donated materials, and pairing with the trade specialists who'll lead each project. Spanish-English coordinators ride along on every team.

Day 2 begins the work. Crews split between residential roof repairs (steel panels, hurricane straps, sealant), interior drywall and electrical restoration for families who've been camping in unrepaired homes for over a year, and community infrastructure (a damaged senior center kitchen, a destroyed playground at the public elementary school).

Evenings at the staging hub: shared meals from the community kitchen, debrief circle, language exchange, and the local crew leads' stories of the storms that brought them into this work. Tonight, three families whose homes are being rebuilt this week come by to introduce themselves.