Six Years of Impact: Supporting Recovery in Puerto Rico

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of up to 155 mph, causing catastrophic devastation and loss of life. The island — which was still reeling from Hurricane Irma earlier that month — endured an estimated $90 billion in damages, leaving thousands of lives in shambles and no clear path forward on the road to recovery. Five years later, while the island continued to struggle, Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico and caused further damage.

SBP first deployed an AmeriCorps team in October 2017 to distribute donated goods in response to Hurricane Maria. In April 2018, SBP established an office on the island to begin long-term recovery efforts in municipalities that experienced significant damage and held some of the greatest need for SBP services. For six years, SBP helped families rebuild their homes, assisted homeowners with FEMA appeals, conducted workshops on recovery and personal preparedness, and trained local leaders on building and executing an effective long-term recovery program.

Through partnership, collaboration, and invaluable community investment, SBP made an impact on an island where much of the population is highly vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters.

“The disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico were, and continue to be, powered by local communities and leaders working in solidarity with partners, donors, and volunteers to help families rebuild and return home. The road to recovery is ongoing, and we are proud to have partnered with these communities to help them navigate this journey and rebuild,” said Thomas Corley, SBP Chief Operating Officer.

SBP’s Build program in Puerto Rico concludes in August 2024. Here’s a snapshot of the impact we achieved in partnership with local leaders and communities over six years:

• Returned 344 families home across 14 municipalities. 
• Mobilized 3,290 volunteers and 262 AmeriCorps members to support rebuilding efforts.
• Logged a total of 73,492 volunteer hours.
• Trained over 20 recovery leaders on building and executing an effective long-term recovery program through SBP’s Leader Practitioner Course.
• Conducted 25 Recovery 101 and Personal Preparedness trainings.
• Preserved an estimated $43 million in home equity for disaster survivors.

Key to Recovery: Partnerships

None of these achievements would have been possible without the valuable partnerships we were able to forge in Puerto Rico with communities, as well as with other nonprofit organizations and local leaders over the past six years. These collaborations fueled the impact of our efforts to help communities rebuild, recover, and return home. 

We extend our profound thanks to the following SBP partner organizations:

• Society of St. Vincent DePaul
• Habitat for Humanity
• Lions Club
• Pro Techos
• The Salvation Army
• SBA
• NetWork Volunteers
• Good 360
• All Hands and Hearts
• Foundation for Puerto Rico
• LocalGuest

SBP is also grateful for the financial support of the following organizations that answered the call to support Puerto Rico’s recovery:

• Viatris Pharmaceuticals
• Habitat for Humanity International
• TOYOTA
• Private Foundation
• Hilton Foundation
• GE Foundation
• Ricky Martin Foundation
• Carlos Beltran Foundation
• GlobalGiving
• Wells Fargo
• Sony Music

The contributions of these partners enabled SBP to provide critical resources and assistance to families in Puerto Rico. One particular funder, Viatris Pharmaceuticals, whose commitment has been instrumental in rebuilding homes in Puerto Rico, wished to highlight how SBP’s work there aligned with their own social impact objectives:

“At Viatris, giving back to the communities we serve is fundamental to our mission to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. In 2022, I traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to celebrate SBP’s milestone of 250 homes repaired in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Since then, the SBP team, along with corporate partners, volunteers, and members of impacted communities across the country have donated their time, skills, and resources to rebuilding homes in some of the areas hardest hit by natural disaster. Viatris is proud to partner with SBP and continue the important and life changing work being done in these communities.”
—Bethsabee Medina, Director of State Government Affairs, Viatris Pharmaceuticals

Photo Gallery: SBP Puerto Rico in Action

From distributing water and supplies immediately after the hurricanes hit to assessing recovery needs, assisting with FEMA appeals, and rebuilding homes, SBP staff and volunteers persevered in helping Puerto Rico navigate the complexities of disaster recovery.