PPM Disaster Response: Hurricane Fiona

Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 18, 2022; just 2 days before the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Maria. It hit Puerto Rico as just a Cat 1 Hurricane, and while it was way weaker than Maria when it hit Puerto Rico, the water it rained on the island was historical. A month later, there's still communities that don't have water or power.

Unlike Hurricane Maria, it did not impacted the whole island in the same magnitude, allowing the towns in the North of the island to be the first responders to the needs on the South. Our partner churches on the island were among those that first mobilized, being able to offer hot meals to those without power and groceries to those that lost it due to the hurricane. PPM was able to come alongside them with donations for food and higine products, and when needed also able to transport drinkable water to our partners churches in need. As power has come back, our partners have refocused their efforts and ministries have started to change.

There's still need of groceries and hot meals, specially in the lowest income areas affected by the hurricane. Just this week, we were able to donate to one of our partners that's heading to Loiza to distribute 200 grocery bags. But there's also those houses that were affected structurally and need to replace or build again roofs and other areas of the house. Our churches have the tools and expertise to do the job, but need hands. Please consider coming to Puerto Rico to help us rebuild the island. 

Meet Pastor Diego of Iglesia de Dios MB Parcelas Falu.  PPM has partnered with his church and other ministries in the past and after Hurricane Fiona, donated funds have gone to his church to help prepare food bags to take to areas of Puerto Rico that are still struggling in their recovery.  The delivery in this photo is destined for Loiza, a city in Puerto Rico which saw intense destruction.  Efforts like this are still underway and the need remains high for both donations and helping hands.  If you feel called to help in any way, know that your donated funds go straight to helping these partners purchase necessary food and supplies.  Our local PPM staff is also eager to host teams and would love to start working with you to plan your trip.  If you are interested in serving in Puerto Rico please fill out the Request Info form on this page and a member of our staff will connect with you.

Please continue to pray for endurance and wisdom for the pastors and community leaders serving their communities, and pray for grace and peace to rest on all those who have lost everything and are unsure of what the future holds.  

We are now three weeks out since Hurricane Fiona tore through Puerto Rico.  FEMA is still working through the slow process of accessing all the damage and allocating funds for rebuilding.  In the meantime, the local church is on the move, helping their communities in any way possible.  Food distribution is the primary ministry these churches are finding at this time.  The need is still great and many people remain in need of basic necessities.  Our local PPM staff have said that the greatest needs at this time are water filters, adult diapers, mattresses, and money to purchase household items that were lost.  We have church partners in Puerto Rico that are eager and willing to accept care packages and donations.  If you or your church would like to come alongside one of these churches either from afar or on the ground in Puerto Rico please fill out the Request Info form and a staff member will reach out to you.  Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters affected by Hurricane Fiona and for endurance and peace for the pastors and church members working constantly to serve their communities.

Fiona's impact in the Dominican Republic has been devastating to certain communities.  This is a picture of Pastor Juan Guillermo, one of our bedrock partners in the DR.  He does outreach in many impoverished communities called Bateys.  These Bateys generally house farm workers for the sugar cane fields and Haitian immigrants make up most of the population.  According to Pastor Juan much of the infrastructure in these communities was destroyed.  He also fears that in a few weeks there will be a lot of hunger as most of the crops were wiped out by the rain and wind.  Please continue to pray for the people in the DR and that assistance will make it too them quickly. All donations we collect for the DR will go to our partners who are buying groceries to distribute and materials for reconstruction.  If you feel called to serve alongside this community in their rebuilding please fill out the Request Info form on this page and a member of our staff will reach out to you to begin planning your trip.  

Today we were able to directly head to one of our partners on the island and cover a necessity. This past weekend, one of our pastors texted me about having a need of drinkable water in his community. We have been keeping you updated on the different needs of our partners. 

And thanks to you, today we headed out with water for 50 families! We were able to fill up our SUV with all this water and traveled to the church in the mountains of Bayamon.  The road was covered with a lot of mud and the narrow roads made the driving hard, but with God on our side were able to arrive. The pastor was expecting us with a grateful heart and members from the community to help us unload the water.

He told me the power just came back, but the water would take days to be drinkable due to the contamination on it, and even then sometimes they just lose water without reason.

Thanks, on behalf of our pastors and the communities we have been able to help with your donations, please continue to help us help the efforts of recovery in our beautiful island.

Sorry for the delay in this post, yesterday and today have been eventful!

We got notice of a family that lost everything they had in the house they just moved in a couple of months ago in a mudslide. Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras immediately started coordinating with other churches and volunteers to plan to travel to their house and shovel the mud out.

Iglesia Bautista de Metropolis also jumped into the action. Along with the college students that have been helping the church of Rio Piedras, we were around 22! The house had mud in their back entrance and went down the stairs into the kitchen and living room. We figured out a plan, and started shoveling mud out as fast as possible. It took us a whole day, but we managed to do ? of the back! We closed out the day with Pastor Ricartel praying over the family and the volunteers.

There's still work to be done, and we are coordinating to bring also a skid-steer for the area outside of the house. As soon as I got home, I just fell asleep. Situations like this are reported throughout the island, and although the church is responding as fast as we can, they need help. Please consider donating to our churches so they can continue supplying the needs, or even doing a mission trip to the island to help with your hands! Any help is appreciated!

I joined Iglesia Bautista de Metropolis and traveled to Guayama and Yauco. The main roads look eeriely normal, like nothing has happened. But once you start getting closer to the South, you can start seeing mudslides marks on the road.

Guayama is without power still. They don't have an estimated time for the service to restored. In some areas the river grew up to 3 feet on the houses. Some wooden houses lost the roof, other got flooded and are in need of replacing floors and furniture. 

Yauco had similar problems, and in some buildings sewage water got in. Although the supermarkets are opening, the elderly and low income population cannot afford to replace their lost groceries.

Water service is starting to be restored. However drinking water continues to be a problem in some areas. Suspect cases of Leptospirosis cases have been reported. 

Our partners still need help in supplying clean drinkable water, non-perishable food, solar lanterns, and other items. There's a lot of situations being identified of lost roofs, mudslides inside of houses, and cleanup to be done. Keep us in your prayers, and please reach out to us if you are willing to help!

As we continue our efforts to help the victims of hurricane Fiona, so does the effort of the local churches in the north to help those affected in the south. A few pastors have let me know some of the supplies needed:

500 solar or batteries lanterns

500 portable showers

100 frames and mattresses (can also be air mattress)

Disinfectants and cleaning supplies.

Every bit helps.

We got word this weekend of a local church in Bayamon, not that far from San Juan and within the Metro area, that their community has around 50 families in need of drinkable water. We are looking for ways to get them help as fast as possible. Would you consider donating to our efforts and help us supply this and similar needs?

Today at Iglesia Bautista de Metropolis, the church gather for the first time after the hurricane Fiona hit the island for their Sunday Service. There was time as the body of Christ to see how everyone is, whatever needs there are, and to cry together as one. There was also time to come together as one lay out a plan to help our brothers in need in other areas of the island, and to convoke the church to help in any capacity the congregation is able; be it shoveling mud out of a house, going to the Southern part of the island to provide groceries, or being able to donate non-perishable food, first aid kits, lanterns, and others for the work to continue. This same scenario is happening in other churches on the North side of the island.

Can't you join the efforts of our local churches?God is in the move!

Our churches are getting ready to mobilize to the affected areas to help with filters and nonperishable foods. However, there are still roads that are blocked and communities in need. This photo was shared from Cayey, close to road #7736. Help us keep reaching out to where there are needs.

Today was definitely a busy day. After the morning in Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras, we then headed to Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Nuevo to help unload a truck of provisions to help pack around 700 groceries so that in Saturday we can go out to distribute the groceries to the people of the South.

Wow, today was a busy day! We spent most of the morning at Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras. We helped the church serve more than 370 lunches today! Even more people from the community kept adding themselves as volunteers! There's was also more than 60 grocery bags donated as well!  We also now have a plan in place to have teams come alongside our local churches and help! Please, contact us if your team would like to help and have the skills to do so. We are also supporting grocery distributions in the affected areas though our partners in those areas. Continue praying for us!

Pastor and long-time partner of PPM, Christien Valcourt, has shared with us that his community of Mariani sustained damage due to flooding and high winds. Many members of his church, MEBSH de Mariani, were affected, many lost their homes entirely or sustained damage. Thankfully, there are no reports of loss of life at this time, we are praising the Lord for that!

Please continue praying for Pastor Valcourt and his community, as they try to figure out a way forward while the country remains in shut-down.

While Haiti didn't receive a direct hit from Fiona, related winds and rains have caused flooding and damage in many communities. Our staff are doing their best to find a good internet connection to send updates, but this is proving difficult in the aftermath of the storm. 

Please continue to pray for Haiti. The damage her people are facing from Fiona is just another layer upon the already intense stress and pain they are enduring due to civil unrest in their country. 

To our partners and staff and many loved ones in Haiti - we are praying for you!

On Sunday September 18 I was supposed to have a service where they would install me officially as part time pastor of a church. My parents not having been to Puerto Rico in 3 years came to help me celebrate. Fiona had other plans as we had to postpone all our plans. It was supposed to be a time of vacation, celebration and to relax. But my parents also being pastors of a church in Kissimmee Florida and knowing I'm also a full time missionary for PPM decided to walk alongside me as we got in touch with several of our partners to asses their needs and pray for them.

Today Carmen Vargas of the ministry Rehace of the Methodist church told me she needed volunteers to help pack around 500 bags with groceries to be able to send tomorrow to families that have been affected by hurricane Fiona in the town of Comerío which was flooded and are currently without power and water. Without a second thought we went to help as did many of our brothers and sisters from other churches. We are rising up those of us that live in the north and were less affected by the storm to be able to help those that were. Today we rise, just like our brothers and sisters in Rincón who setup their kitchen to serve hot meals, just like the Baptist church in Rio Piedras and many other churches in towns less affected by the storm. Today the Body of Christ manifest itself by having us be the hands and feet of Christ. 

Praise God for His church.  As power has been restored to parts of the island our local PPM staff has been able to meet with a few of our partner churches in Puerto Rico.  Two in particular who were not as severely impacted have started serving their local communities in whatever way they can.

One of these partners is Casa de Amor Fe y Esperanza lead by Pastora Gladys.  They are currently serving the community by providing hot meals and a space for the university students that are struggling economically and living on campus away from their families. They also have a ministry called "Duerme Tranquilo" that looks to provide temporary lodging for people that are displaced or can't afford to live on campus.  

Another partner, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras, is currently making and serving hot meals to the community and for the international students that were displaced due to the emergency. They have a ministry of building roofs and they are currently waiting for assessment on the impacted communities so they can go and help rebuild. They also partner with a nonprofit called, “Plaza Corazon'' to minister to the homeless of Rio Piedras.

We now have tangible means of assisting our brothers and sisters as they recover.  We have many options available to assist these local church partners in their ongoing ministry and if you feel led please consider one or all of these options.

1. Donate funds that will be distributed to these partners so they can continue to purchase the necessary provisions for their community.  A plate of food and water bottle costs about $10.

2. Purchasing gift cards for places like Sam’s Club and Walgreens.

3. Put together a care package of canned goods, bottled water, and hygiene equipment and mail them to our partner churches

4. Sign up to come and volunteer your time in recovery efforts.  We will have trip dates opening up in November as soon as our local staff can put together a response plan alongside the local church.

5. Continue praying.  Many of the rural communities are inaccessible due to infrastructure damage and much of the island is still without power and drinking water.

Please fill out the inquiry form if you would like to know where you can send care packages and if you would like to learn about more ways to sponsor these churches in their work.

We are still waiting to hear more from our partners in the Dominican Republic and will update further once we know more about the situation on the ground.  Please continue praying for them and that the necessary provisions make it to these communities.

Spent the day at Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras! They have already organized a hot meals ministry and we got to be part of it! It was a blessing to have worked next to exchange students from France, Spain, and even California! They came yesterday and were served by the church, and today they woke up very early to come serve alongside them! We were able to witness to them as well as we prepared approximately 250 meals for the nearby community as well as student in other areas of Puerto Rico that were affected! We then spent the afternoon in meetings, analysing different needs reports and how best to come alongside them. There are a lot of needs that are coming in, but we want to be effective and efficient. God's on the move! 

Today I was able to physically visit my family. Their generator gas line broke and the gas spilled all over the floor. They were able to see it on time and God protected them. At least one death has been reported in which the generators malfunctioned and exploded. 

I was able to visit one of our closest partners, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras. Today they started feeding the community, be it international students displaced or people from the community not able to work due to the hurricane. They are already looking at what the needs are on the South and West of the island to go and help.  Like them we have other partners ready to extend a helping hand as soon as we can get together what is needed.

We have been able to start contacting some of our partners across the island. The Southeastern area was also affected, and pastors are informing us of damages, debris and lack of drinkable water and nonperishable food. Same in the Southwestern area of the island, asking additionally for solar lanterns, adult and infant diapers and hygiene kits. Some of the areas the roads have been destroyed by mudslides or erosion.  

But there's always hope. We have Faith that God will lead us though this disaster. The power company said the goal is that by tomorrow most of the island that was not heavily affected will have power restored. You can see our youth making the best of it, gathering in community and playing together. Keep praying alongside us for us and our brothers in Dominican Republic. And for our pastors as they lead their communities with their eyes focused on God.

As we are now transitioning out of the hurricane and starting to asses the damages, towns located on the mountainous regions suffered damage like mudslides and landslides due to heavy saturation of the soil. This here is picture shared by our local newspaper El Nuevo Día that show a part of the road broken due to the heavy rains and the ground sliding. Damages in the island continue to be assessed as different towns have been hit differently. We will continue to update on the needs and how to best help. Keep us in your prayers.

Fiona crossed into the Dominican Republic this morning after mass destruction in Puerto Rico, primarily due to its intense rainfall.  The hurricane is still strengthening and winds in excess of 85 mph are expected while passing over the DR.

Please pray for the people of the Dominican Republic as Fiona has the potential to cause significant damage before heading out to the Atlantic.

As Tropical Storm Fiona gained strength over Puerto Rico this weekend, the majority of its impact was in the southern part of the island. Wind gusts were up to as much as 75 mph in some places with heavy rain. Many are without power across the island, and parts of the south experienced significant flooding, mudslides, and even bridges and roads collapsing. 

Please continue to pray over the people in these areas as they experience the storm's remnants. Please also pray for the eastern portion of The Dominican Republic, as places such as La Romana and Punta Cana are currently getting hit by this storm. 

As Tropical Storm Fiona continues to make its way toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, please join us in praying for those in its path and the local churches that support those communities.

Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to hit Puerto Rico on Saturday and the Dominican Republic on Sunday with wind gusts up to 50mph, heavy rain, and possible mudslides. Many in Puerto Rico are still dealing with PTSD from Hurricane Maria, which caused significant damage to the island in 2017.

Please join us in prayer against anxiety, and for the safety and protection of the Caribbean during this time.

Drema | Puerto Rico Operations Manager