Praying for our friends in Puerto Rico

On Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico, leaving behind a path of destruction on the island. In the wake of the storm, which is now considered the strongest to hit the island in 80 years, there has been severe flooding and countless downed power lines. This has led to a complete power outage affecting the entire island, extremely limited transportation and an overall shortage of basic resources like water and food. At this point, locals are still struggling to find ways to contact friends and family members to let them know they are safe.

YouthWorks has been working alongside local organizations and ministries in Arecibo, Puerto Rico for 15 years. Over the years, we have developed deep relationships and friendships with community members doing incredible work. The reality is, the hurricane has affected everyone on the island, including our friends. We’ve only managed a little communication with our partners. Right now, they’re focused on assessing the needs of their community and determining how to best respond.

In addition to our site in Arecibo, YouthWorks also hires summer staff from Puerto Rico consistently each year. Even with the limited communication on the island, a handful of staff members have been able to reach out to let us know they and their families are safe.

Although we have heard from many on the island, we are still awaiting updates from several friends and community members due to challenging physical circumstances and communication barriers.

As an organization, we are committed to standing with our community members and our past staff. In the midst of the devastation on the island, there is hope and unity. For now, we wait patiently as locals mobilize relief efforts and aid begins to flow to the island. We wait patiently as modes of communication are reestablished. We wait patiently for our community friends to direct us in our next steps.

Please join us as we continue to pray for Puerto Rico and anticipate direction from our local partners.