Nine Years After Hurricane Maria: Learning Through Rebuilding

A reflection by Luis R. Marrero, Executive Director of PRoTechos

September 2017 marked a turning point in Puerto Rico’s history. In less than two weeks, Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck our islands, leaving a profound mark on a country whose physical, social, and economic systems were already showing significant vulnerabilities.

The overwhelming sound of hurricane-force winds was only a warning of the uncertainty that lay ahead.

The harsh reality of those first weeks remains deeply rooted in our collective memory. Thousands of lives were lost. Communities were left without water, electricity, access to healthcare, transportation, or communication—and, in far too many cases, without a safe place to call home.

Maria forced us to confront the true condition of our communities. It exposed weakened homes, aging infrastructure, gaps in essential skills, and major challenges in our ability to respond.

As a first responder, I witnessed the despair of a people facing unimaginable loss: families whose dreams had been shattered, roofs torn apart, and homes that, almost overnight, no longer represented a place of peace and security.

How do you move forward when the place you called home changes completely in a matter of hours?

Yet alongside the destruction, something extraordinary also emerged. As a community organizer, I watched community leaders, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, private-sector partners, and individual citizens work tirelessly on behalf of Puerto Rico.

From that collective effort, PRoTechos was born as a vehicle for social transformation.

We quickly understood that rebuilding roofs was essential—but that we could do more. Families and communities themselves wanted to participate, to learn, and to contribute to rebuilding alongside their neighbors.

That became the driving force behind our work to train people in carpentry and resilient roof construction while rebuilding homes. From that experience came an idea that continues to guide our work today: learning through rebuilding.

Nine years later, PRoTechos has rebuilt 235 roofs and trained 240 people from 45 municipalities across Puerto Rico in carpentry and resilient roof construction.

Today, that idea continues to evolve. We are bringing carpentry education to a new generation through our youth program in public schools so that these skills and this knowledge remain within our communities.

What we experienced after Maria taught us that we cannot wait until we are once again in the eye of the storm to begin preparing. We continue investing in the development of our own capabilities as a foundation for greater community self-reliance and continued progress toward safe, dignified housing.

Nine years later, there is still much work to be done.

We will continue serving Puerto Rico as carpenters working in solidarity with our people.