>>> THE EARTHQUAKES THAT ROCKED PUERTO RICO IN LATE DECEMBER AND
EARLY JANUARY DISPLACED PEOPLE, MANY OF WHOM WERE STILL
REBUILDING FROM HURRICANE MARIA.
RECENTLY A TEAM ORGANIZED BY THE GANDARA CENTER WENT TO THE
ISLAND WITH DONATED SUPPLIES AND WORKED WITH TEAMS ON THE GROUND
HELPING PEOPLE WHO ARE ONCE AGAIN REBUILDING.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND
DEVELOPMENT FOR GANDARA AND COREEN DUMONT, COMMUNICATIONS
AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEED.
>> MANY PEOPLE WHEN THEY WOKE UP AND HEARD ABOUT THE LARGE
EARTHQUAKE THEY HAD IN PUERTO RICO, WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT STILL HAVE FAMILY OVER THERE,
LIKE MY SELL, WE ALL HAVE FAMILY OR FRIENDS AND WE KNEW WE HAD TO
ACT.
SO WE STARTED COLLECTING, REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE AND BY
THE END OF THE MONTH ON THE 27TH WE FLEW OUT.
AND WE GOT DOWN THERE, WAS A LOT OF COORDINATING, MOVING A LOT OF
BOXES.
JET BLUE WAS AWESOME TO GIVE US 30 BOXES TO BRING FOR FREE, SO
WE WERE TRAVELING REALLY HEAVY, WE PACKED EVERYTHING IN THE VAN
AND IT WAS AMAZING.
>> SO YOU GOT TO WORK?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> WHEN YOU GOT THERE.
SO WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DID YOU BRING ON THE PLANE WITH YOU?
>> WELL, WE HEARD THAT THE NEED IN THE BEGINNING WAS WATER AND
THAT TYPE OF STUFF, BUT IT CHANGED OVER TO TOILETRIES,
FOOD, SNACKS FOR KIDS AND WE STARTED TO CREATE SURVIVAL
BACKPACKS.
WE HAD A MEETING WITH CARLOS GONZALEZ, SENATOR MARKEY AND
TALKED WITH THE SENATOR IN PUERTO RICO WHO TOLD US WHAT WAS
GOING ON ON THE GROUND.
WE PACKED THESE BACKPACKS UP, IT WAS A LOT OF WORK, BUT IT WAS
FUN.
WE BROUGHT FOOD, TOILETRIES, A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING IN THESE
BACKPACKS.
>> SO ONCE YOU GOT THERE AND YOU'RE ON THE GROUND, WHAT WAS
YOUR ITINERARY LIKE AS FAR AS HELPING PEOPLE?
>> WELL, FIRST OFF WE HAD TO GET ALL THE SUPPLIES, SO WE HAD THEM
SENT TO THE HOTEL IN SAN JUAN AND ALSO TO A GIRL THAT WORKS
WITH US, HAD THE BOXES SHIPPED.
SO I THINK WE SHIPPED ABOUT -- >> AN ADDITIONAL 20.
>> AN ADDITIONAL 20 BOXES, AND 30 BOXES WE BROUGHT ON THE PLANE
WITH US.
SO WE STARTED IN SAN JUAN, PICKED UP THOSE SUPPLIES, WE HAD
ABOUT TWO VANS PACKED UP, READY TO GO DOWN.
OUR FIRST STOP WAS PONCE, FILLED UP THOSE BOXES, AND THEN I THINK
OUR FIRST STOP REALLY WAS GUANICA.
AND THERE WE SAW AN ENCAMPMENT.
SO WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ON THE NEWS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE, THE NATIONAL GUARD HELPING.
SO WE WENT UP AND I THINK JADE SPOKE WITH SOMEBODY THAT WAS
PUTTING TOGETHER THE EFFORTS THERE, AND THEY REALLY DIDN'T
NEED MUCH, I DON'T BELIEVE, IN THAT FIRST --
>> THEY NEEDED TENTS AND BLANKETS.
BUT BECAUSE IT WAS RUN BY THE NATIONAL GUARD THEY WERE PRETTY
WELL STOCKED.
>> THEN YOU WENT FURTHER OUT ON THE ISLAND AS WELL, INTO SORT OF
A MOUNTAIN AREA?
>> CORRECT.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE ISLAND OR HAVE FAMILY ON THE
ISLAND, WHEN YOU GET INTO SOME OF THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS IN THE
CENTER, YOU HAVE FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR CENTURIES,
THEY HAVE THEIR HOUSES AND THE GRANDMA LIVES HERE, AUNT,
UNCLES, SO YOU HAVE EXTENDED FAMILIES OF 30 TO 40 PEOPLE
SOMETIMES.
AND IN GUANICA, THAT'S WHERE THE STREP WAS SO THEY HAD A LOT OF
DAMAGE TO THEIR HOMES.
AND NOW INSTEAD OF STAYING IN THEIR HOMES THEY'RE STAYING IN
ENCAMPMENTS ON THEIR LAND SO THEY'RE SAFE.
WE THEN TRAVELED IN THE MOUNTAINS, WE'RE DRIVING ALMOST
AT AN INCLINE LIKE THIS, AND WE GET UP THERE AND FIND ABOUT 10
PEOPLE AT ONE SITE, AND WE WENT TO ANOTHER ONE, THERE WAS, EVERY
TIME WE WOULD TALK MORE PEOPLE WOULD COME DOWN.
>> THERE WAS A SERIES OF EARTHQUAKES, AND THERE WERE A
FEW OF THE BIGGER ONES.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD JUST RECOVERED FROM
HURRICANE MARIA NOW HAVING THIS HAPPEN TO THEIR HOMES?
>> WE SPOKE TO A GENTLEMAN, AND I FELT SO AWFUL, I'M GETTING
GOOSE BUMPS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE HE WAS JUST EXPLAINING HOW HE
SPENT $35,000 TO REBUILD HIS HOME THIS YEAR, WELL, AT THAT
POINT 2019, $35,000, AND WITH ONE OF THOSE EARTHQUAKES HIS
HOUSE COLLAPSED AND WENT DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
SO THAT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO SEE HIM EXPRESS TO US THAT HE JUST
LOST HIS ENTIRE HOUSE, HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
AND TEARS WERE STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE, AND I JUST, IT WAS
HEARTBREAKING.
>> IT WAS. AND IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE AT FIRST
THEY DON'T NECESSARILY ASK YOU, ARE YOU OKAY, HOW IS EVERYTHING
GOING, THEY'RE LIKE WE'RE FINE, WE DON'T NEED ANYTHING.
BUT THEN YOU SIT DOWN AND START TO TALK TO THEM.
AT ONE POINT -- YOU START TO HEAR WHAT THEIR
DAY-TO-DAY LIFE IS LIKE.
BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL HAVING EARTHQUAKES.
A WEEK FROM THE DAY WE LEFT IN THE SAME LOCATION WE HAD LUNCH
IN THAT SHOPPING CENTER THERE WAS A 5.0.
SO THEY'RE STILL LIVING THROUGH THIS AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN
ANXIOUS FEELING THAT THEY HAVE.
SO AT FIRST THEY'RE JUST LIKE OH, WE'RE OKAY, WE DON'T NEED
ANYTHING, THEY DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING.
THEN YOU START TALKING TO THEM AND SAY WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST
NIGHT, WELL, IT RAINED AND THAT PART OF THE ISLAND, LIKE
FLORIDA, HAS LIMESTONE, SO ALL THEIR BLANKETS WERE WET.
NAY NEEDED BLANKETS, SOME NEEDED TENTS.
WE HAD A WOMAN THAT HER DAUGHTER IS GOING THROUGH CHEMO, SO WE
GAVE HER ENSURE SO SHE HAD SOMETHING TO EAT.
UNTIL YOU REALLY STARTED TO TALK TO THEM AND HAVE THE
CONVERSATIONS LIKE HUMAN BEINGS ONE TO ONE, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW
WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH, AND THEY'RE STILL DEALING WITH IT
NOW, SO IT IS HEARTBREAKING.
>> ON THE FLIP SIDE A FEW YEARS BEFORE, GANDARA HELPED SO MANY
PEOPLE WHO WERE COMING FROM PUERTO RICO AFTER HURRICANE
MARIA AS WELL.
SO HERE YOU ARE IN THAT SAME SORT OF ROLE.
SO THIS HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, I GUESS OBVIOUSLY IT'S TRAUMATIC
FOR THOSE FAMILIES.
BUT LIKE HERE WE GO AGAIN, I'M SURE THEY'RE FEELING.
>> CORRECT.
AND THE NECESSARY THAT CAME OVER, A LOT OF THEM ARE STILL
STAYING THERE BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR LAND, THEIR HOME, AND EVEN
THE FAMILIES THAT DID COME OVER THERE ARE SOME, BUT WE'RE NOT
SEEING AS MANY AS WE DID AFTER MARIA.
THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP THEIR WAY OF LIFE, AND IT IS
HEARTBREAKING, BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN THERE AND YOU SEE HOW
STRONG THEY ARE, AND THE GENTLEMAN WHO DID LOSE HIS HOUSE
HE HAD CREATED A MAKESHIFT HOME, MAKESHIFT SHOWERS THAT CAME FROM
RAIN WATER, HE TOOK SOMETHING THEY USE AT A FESTIVAL TO ROAST
A PIG AND HE PUT A QUEEN SIZE MATTRESS AT THE BOTTOM.
EVEN THOUGH HE WAS HURTING AND STRUGGLING, HE DID WHAT HAD
TO DO TO SURVIVE, LITERALLY 20 TO 30 PEOPLE IN HIS FAMILY.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S MORE SO SUPPLIES RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE AS
WE PROGRESS AND AS MORE EARTHQUAKES ARE HAPPENING AND
THE TREMORS ARE HAPPENING, THE NEED CHANGES.
SO WHAT THEY NEEDED IN THE PAST IS NOT WHAT THEY NEED NOW.
SO I THINK THE BEST WAY IS THE MONETARY DONATIONS, WHICH WE ARE
STILL ACCEPTING ON OUR SITE.