Without going too deep into her involvement at work, Samantha has talked to many survivors of the disaster. She listens to their stories and helps them with obtaining assistance. Some of these stories are devastating as she hears about generations of home ownership on the island that was destroyed. Land and homes that were subdivided and handed down without record or even addresses to identify them. This makes sending aid a challenge. Many times she refers them to local charity groups for assistance.
This is how I am indirectly involved. Many of you know that I am a member of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus took immediate action to bring aid to the families. The Columbia magazine reported that local Knights distributed food, water and household supplies. The Order committed more than $1 million in funds to aid in relief and recovery efforts to restore churches, K of C families and others in need.
Here are some reminders of the impact from Maria
- winds reached nearly 200 mph making it the strongest storm to hit the island since 1928.
- caused loss of electricity to the entire island (3.4M people). Today about one-third of that population is still without power.
- official death toll 64 people prior to the impact of the lost power grid and damage to island infrastructure.
- $94 billion of damage.