Puerto Rico Stands
Puerto Rico Stands (PR Stands) was founded in response to Hurricane María’s impact on Puerto Rico in 2017. This grassroots organization was established in Baltimore by an interdisciplinary group of physicians, public health practitioners, and engineers committed to the long-term recovery of the island. Specific projects included linking medical and grassroots organizations in Puerto Rico to communities in need; exploring technology solutions to help first responder and volunteer relief efforts; and assisting with community capacity building efforts.
From 2017 through 2019, PR Stands collaboratively partnered with community leaders in Sector Maná, a rural community of ~200 families in the municipality of Barranquitas, PR. Sector Maná was directly hit by the eye of Hurricane María and suffered substantial damages to its infrastructure. In 2018, PR Stands received funds from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Bloomberg American to conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment and deliver emergency preparedness capacity building workshops grounded in community-based participatory research principles. Project phases and deliverables are available below:
Phase 1: Community Needs Assessment
A community needs assessment was conducted in December 2018 . Community leaders identified 15 local volunteers to assist in delivering the survey door-to-door. The final report contained data on 94 households (283 residents) and was shared with the entire community.
Phase 2: Capacity Building Workshops
Community members met to learn about the needs assessment findings and establish a community work plan and outline community priorities.
Phase 3: Community Disaster Preparedness Plan
PR Stands assisted with the development of a community disaster preparedness plan and provided leaders with satellite telephones.
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