Browse Items (385 total)
- Collection: Cultural Exchange - Puerto Rico Sustainable Disaster Relief
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Talking with the Ayalas
Raíces Director Francisco G. Gómez speaking with Raquel and Junito Ayala about the storm, the aftermath, and the recovery and rebuilding.
Vejigante
Vejigante masks made by the Ayalas remain on display in the home.
Blue Tarp Roof - Loíza
Like many across the island, the roof of the home of the Ayalas in Loíza was ripped off during the storm. On our visit in January, there was still a blue tarp serving as a temporary roof as plans were continuing to be discussed and decided for the…
Hanging Lines
A common sight throughout the island, in every municipality, is dangling electric wires and crooked or snapped poles.
Clearing Debris
Clearing debris piles of organic material along road 187 through Piñones into Loíza.
Closed Businesses
While some kiosks and small businesses in Piñones have reopened, others remained closed and in disrepair as of January 2018.
Abandoned - Piñones
A building destroyed along the coast in Piñones.
Marife Roman
Marife Roman at COPI in Piñones.
Marife & Francisco at COPI
Marife Roman, employee at COPI, with Francisco G. Gómez, director and co-founder of Raíces Cultural Center.
COPI - Post-Maria
On the first full day in Puerto Rico, the Raíces Crew drove through Piñones and Loíza to visit friends who are musicians and work to preserve culture on the island. We made a stop at COPI, a location Raíces had visited on the 2009 cultural exchanges…
Mural
The Puerto Rican flag appeared on many murals and pieces of street art seed throughout the one week trip Raíces made in January 2018, four months after Hurricane Maria.
Che’s - Closed
A well known restaurant, Che’s, which was in Isla Verde in San Juan, remains closed after Hurricane Maria, as did many local businesses.
El Departamento de la Comida - Closed
We passed by where the Departamento de la Comida restaurant and local food farmer’s market used to be before Hurricane Maria. The restaurant and market were put on hold to create the PR Resiliency Fund project, which will support at least 200…
La Lucha Continúa
Mural in San Juan, Puerto Rico that reads “La Lucha continúa…NO a la Junta de Control Fiscal!”, meaning “The struggle continues…NO to the fiscal control oversight board.”
Abandoned Homes
Some homes which suffered major damage, including loss of the roof, were abandoned after Hurricane Maria, as residents continued to leave the island to find work, health care services, and open schools for their children.
#PRseLevanta
A slogan meaning “Puerto Rico will rise” that was widely used after Hurricane Maria during the relief and recovery efforts. It was seen on t-shirts, bus stops, signs, murals and installations like this one.
Missing Signs
Many signs for businesses that were damaged during Hurricane Maria had not yet been replaced.
“Un árbol es tan fuerte como sus RAÍCES…”
Mural along Rt 2 in Toa Alta that reads “Un árbol es tan fuerte como sus RAÍCES…Yo sé, donde estan las mias…Y TÚ???”, meaning “A tree is as strong as its roots. I know where my roots are…do you?”.
Bean Seeds Sprouting at Finca Mi Casa
Photo sent to Raíces Crew Members by the Seed Huntress, Sefra Alexander upon visiting Don Luis Soto at Finca Mi Casa on her hunt to preserve seed and exchange knowledge of seed saving. This was a patch of bean seeds planted by Don Luis sand Raíces…
Seed Donations
Seeds and other sustainable disaster relief donations given to friend of Raíces Jariksa Valle Feliciano.
Seed Envelopes
Seed envelopes made by Raíces Disaster Relief Trip Volunteer Christina Proxenos to donate to the Semiteca program. These were distributed to some of the schools receiving Semiteca boxes for use in seed saving.
Seed Storage
Seeds that were sorted for distribution were categorized into a bucket system that would make it easy to access different types of seeds on demand.
Sorting Seed
Raíces Disaster Relief Trip Volunteer Christina Proxenos sorting seed into a bucket system for distribution to local farmers, school gardens, community gardens and agroecokogy projects.
Categorizing Seeds
One of the main projects the day the Raíces Crew attended the Seed Brigade was developing and implementing a categorizing and storage system for seed donations.