In its own report this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) admitted that the government needs "to better serve survivors before, during and after disasters." The top FEMA administrator also added that "the unprecedented scale and rapid succession" of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, along with historic wildfires in California,"stretched response and recovery capabilities at all levels of government."

In regard to Puerto Rico, which was devastated by twin hurricanes (Irma and Maria) in September 2017, The New York Times reports that FEMA "vastly underestimated how much food and fresh water it would need, and how hard it would be to get additional supplies to the island. And when the killer storm did come, FEMA’s warehouse in Puerto Rico was nearly empty, its contents rushed to aid the United States Virgin Islands, which were hammered by another storm two weeks before. There was not a single tarpaulin or cot left in stock."

Thousands of tarps that eventually reached the island after Maria are still in use! When our team was landing in Puerto Rico a week ago, we saw them covering hundreds of homes. I found out that an estimated 60,000 people still live under blue tarps on the island today. That's ridiculous and unacceptable!

Mercy Chefs is appalled by how poorly relief has been handled in Puerto Rico, especially when compared to actions taken and aid money provided in Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. It gets worse when you consider that a Harvard study released last month estimated that the island's "official" death toll from Hurricane Maria (64) is off by almost 4,600!

Our outreach to Hurricane Maria victims has become very personal to our team. We take our work there very seriously. Most of the U.S. has forgotten our dear fellow Americans in Puerto Rico, so we want to do everything possible to make a difference in their lives. But Mercy Chefs can't be successful without your help!

This summer, please empower us to bring solar power to widows, single mothers, the sick, the elderly and other hurricane victims who urgently need it. Click here or on the banner below to make a tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, $100 or more to support Mercy Chefs' ongoing "Operation Crisis Recovery" efforts in Puerto Rico:


At a cost of $2,000 per install, 40 families will receive five solar panels each to run a refrigerator, LED lights, a fan and a small, in-home medical unit. The total funds needed to install 200 donated solar panels will be approximately $80,000. We hope to finish this important work before the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria on September 20.

Will you please support our ongoing efforts to help storm victims who have been in the dark for ten months now? We are more than halfway to reaching our $80,000 goal and providing a permanent energy solution to 40 families in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Go here to help fully fund this important, life-changing initiative.

Thank you, in advance, for helping Mercy Chefs bring light into the darkness through our "Operation Crisis Recovery" efforts, as we stand with fellow Americans in Puerto Rico during their time of need.

Blessings,

Gary

P.S. A Mercy Chefs team will return to Puerto Rico later this month to continue implementing our plan to provide solar power for 40 families still in the dark. At a cost of $2,000 per home, our team can install five panels that will run a refrigerator, LED lights, a fan and a small, in-home medical unit. Please help us do what we can to provide a permanent energy solution to families in need this summer. Click here or on the banner below to donate now and keep Mercy Chefs' "Operation Crisis Recovery" efforts on track, as we continue this and other vital outreaches:

Sources:

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/167249

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/fema-puerto-rico-maria.html