Still Waters Run… Empty
Living without water in Maricao, Puerto Rico
“We’re doing this. Right now. No one in these United States should be drinking water that may be coming from a bleeping landfill.”
People forget — quickly. We watch, and we listen, and we give voice to suffering as much as our human hearts will allow. Eventually, though, we reach our limit. We believe, and we assume, and we trust that goodness will prevail. That everything will just… be okay. Until it’s not. Right now, it’s not. It’s been 44 days since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, and there’s still a municipality with no reliable source of water.
“All eyes on Maricao, please.”
Maricao, Puerto Rico
Maricao is small town with stock farm fishponds and island lakes, set around a small plaza at the western edge of Puerto Rico’s Central Mountains. Second-to-least in population, it’s not getting nearly as much attention as other municipalities.
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico on September 20, and according to post-hurricane reports gathered directly from residents, government, and news media; none of Maricao’s community infrastructure has been restored to normal operations. It’s been 44 days — six weeks, and nothing in Maricao is back to normal.
We — CrowdRescue HQ — want you to help.
CrowdRescue HQ
Since August of this year, CrowdRescue HQ has been using the crowd-sourced power of social media to provide direct and indirect support to people suffering the effects of natural disasters. Through Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate, we scoured social media for SOS calls and information about ground conditions and connected people with resources for both immediate and sustained assistance. Most recently, we’ve focused our efforts on the dire conditions in Puerto Rico. Right now, we are documenting — to the best of our abilities — the current status of Puerto Rican residents’ access to food, water and medical care.
Today, our broadcast dispatch lead engaged us in an immediate and targeted mission:
“Let’s get these people clean water. We have a few things in the works, but there is no such thing as too much duplicating here. ANYONE and EVERYONE in relief efforts need to focus on this place. Will let you know if I get good news.”
And so we begin: working to ensure that in Puerto Rico’s overwhelming humanitarian crisis, the people of Maricao are not forgotten.
Beber es Vivir: Water is Life
Early November: According to the Governor’s office, 82% of Puerto Rico’s water meters are now active, but residents are still reporting no reliable source of water. Water safety remains critical to preventing illness, and the only water GUARANTEED safe to consume without treatment is water from a sealed bottle. Maricao’s residents report that some bottled water has been available at some times in the urban area, but it’s not enough. Maricao has no water Oasis, and residents report siphoning water out of a pipe broken in a mudslide, simply out of desperation. Since Maricao is still without power, even boiling water for purification is impossible, for most.
Beber es vivir. Water is life.
Residents know this, and with no access to a safe supply, they will resort to any means by which to get it. Reports throughout Puerto Rico include stories about residents drinking from Superfund sites and other tainted sources. Without means to properly disinfect it — by filtering, distilling, boiling, or using bleach; this water isn’t safe. Without safe water, people will perish.
Maricao’s residents are also struggling to find food. With no open food stores or Stop-n-Go sites, Maricao’s residents are dependent on visiting aid organizations. Aid workers who have arrived to help go house to house, only to find people eating old vegetables.
Maricao is still waiting for electrical power, and with 60% of cell towers down, mainland family members lucky enough to hear from residents might not have done so, save for the one satellite phone brought to Maricao by area firefighters. Reports from residents in Maricao also indicate no operating hospital, shelter clinic, dialysis center, or pharmacy; and people are suffering with serious illnesses like gastroenteritis and leptospirosis. Given these conditions, families on the mainland are, indeed, relieved to hear there is any life remaining, at all.
Travel to nearby communities could well serve Maricao’s needs, but travel is restricted by debris and washouts. Even if roads were clear, with no gas stations to fuel their vehicles or banks to render funds; how do residents manage the trip to the nearest town — 2.5 hours away?
The Water Carriers
Despite the gravity, there is good news. Just recently, the Town of San German and Academia Sangermeńa donated much needed food and supplies. Other groups like Sanemos are working in concert with others to provide food, basic necessities, gastronomy (live cooking), entertainment, and beauty and health clinics.
This is the kind of help Maricao needs.
CrowdRescue HQ needs your help. We are searching for NGOs and relief teams on the ground in Puerto Rico, aiming to identify potential sources of help for each municipality. If you know of an organization who might be a good candidate, or simply want to help volunteer with us for the next week, please do get in touch. Our contact information is listed below.
If you have contacts in Puerto Rico with verifiable information about oasis water quality, or who can help sample local water sources; please let us know that, too.
In the meantime, there’s something you can do immediately. CrowdRescue HQ does provide several public-facing resources which offer immediate help to Puerto Rico’s hurricane victims. These resources include infographics in English and Spanish; meant to guide victims to help regarding generators, water purification, US Comfort contacts, disaster unemployment insurance, and other topics. You’ll find these resources on our Twitter and Facebook feeds, as well as in the “history” section of our Zello broadcast channel (MariaSOS English).
Yes, people forget. We watch, and we listen, and share our voices… until we can’t. But together, CrowdRescue HQ volunteers keep that voice alive.
Our dispatch leader was filled with hope last night, fueled by need — and inspiration:
“OMG. Stop and look at the moon! Then back 2 work.”
No, everything’s NOT okay in Puerto Rico. But we’re trying to fix it — starting with places like Maricao. No one anywhere should be drinking water that may be coming from a bleeping landfill. Eventually, we’ll remember. We won’t stop trying… until we do.
Special thank you to dispatch lead IndigoSky42
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CrowdRescue HQ is powered by everyday heroes: Laptop rescue warriors, scouring social media for post-disaster SOS calls and messages about ground conditions, left by people unable to get through to 911. We connect people with help — confirming status to the best of our ability, entering information into a database, and publishing information or handing it off to agencies and local/federal USAR teams for rescue and relief. We use the crowd-sourced power of social media to expand the capacity of our formal disaster response teams. We help the helpers.
Find us on Twitter @CrowdRescueHQ or Email us at CrowdRescueHQ@gmail.com.
