Jeremy didn’t know that when he mentioned to our valued customer, Mazzetti, who had just completed some amazing volunteer work, that he would be interested in participating the next time there should be a need, that this connection would have him quickly preparing for a week of ups and downs in the devastation in Puerto Rico.
We at CHC are so extremely proud of his choice to make the journey and add his valuable knowledge and skills, that we wanted to share his story. Starting with his message to us the day before he left:
There are really no words to express how humbled I am to be traveling to the disaster stricken island of Puerto Rico to help restore access to the most basic staple of life that all human beings deserve – clean drinking water.
I head to the island with great excitement mixed in with a dash of nervousness. It is unknown how stable the living conditions are on site and how reliable regular access to food and bottled water will be, so I am preparing for anything. Either way, the American citizens inhabiting the island are living in these conditions day in and day out, and their current experience is so much worse than anything I will have to face during my short 7 day trip.
Project Hope seeks to restore clean drinking water across the island, so during my time there myself and one other engineer representing Proj. Hope will be working side by side with the EPA, Department of Health, and other volunteer organizations to asses as many water treatment plants across the island as possible, and provide a plan of action to repair, rebuild, and replace any site that has failed due to the catastrophe of Hurricane Maria. There are a great number of treatment plans that have been rendered inactive. The exact number is unknown, as of yet, but it is believed that treatment plants serving many small communities outside the big city of San Juan have been largely destroyed. Taking count and creating reports on my findings is part of the mission I am being sent to take part in.
If we can restore clean drinking water to the island, we can restore the most important foundation for life, and thus, help create some stability. This will allow to the population to get back on their feet and return to some semblance of normal life.
The efforts on the ground in Puerto Rico will take months, perhaps years to complete, so there’s no time to join into the fray like today! Every minute counts when millions are without water.
Jeremy Martinez – Business Development Representative