By Mari Kanagy, Reporter & Designer
In mid-March, sophomores Maya Harrison, Djuna Schuerholz-Wright and Shira Stahl traveled to the city of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to help a community still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Aguadilla is located along the West Coast of Puerto Rico, about 80 miles from San Juan. Hurricane Maria swept through the region six months ago, and many communities are still struggling to rebuild. Volunteer assistance remains at a premium.
The three students got involved via a family friend of Schuerholz-Wright’s, Jacque Garcia, who moved from California to Puerto Rico prior to the hurricane. They stayed with Garcia and her family during the trip.
A large portion of their time was spent working at “Escuela Micael,” the private school Garcia’s children attend. The most pressing of their tasks was to clear the school grounds of debris and fallen tree limbs, many of which posed a threat to the children’s safety.
“The school was the only place that felt safe for [the students, but] then it wasn’t because trees were falling everywhere,” Harrison said. “We dragged trees off and made it a nicer place.”
The group also worked with Earthship, a company that helps recovering countries by building houses out of recycled materials. The three students sorted trash with Earthship and assisted further by placing a roof atop a newly constructed house.
They spent a significant amount of time picking up trash on the beach.
“One of the days we were only picking up garbage for an hour and we counted 180 straws,” Schuerholz-Wright said.
The family that the three stayed with had relatively good living conditions, including access to water and electricity. The trio lost power only a few times over the course of the trip. In contrast, many of the households on the island still lack these basic needs completely.
“We were pretty lucky, because where we were they had a cistern … so when the water went off we still had a little water to use,” Harrison said.
The most rewarding part of the experience, according to Harrison, was meeting and speaking with the locals.
“When you go and you do work and you help people … you meet new people and you hear new stories and I think that was a really cool part of it,” she said.