Doris and Felix have lived in Barriada Juana Matos for 21 years, and for most of them, Felix handled the roof himself — he was the kind of man who climbed up and fixed what needed fixing. At 84, living with Alzheimer's, he no longer can. When Hurricane María hit, their home took the damage from both directions: four feet of floodwater destroyed everything below, and the winds and rain tore through the roof above, ruining their beds, mattresses, and appliances.

The couple lives on Social Security and veterans' benefits. They applied for federal assistance immediately and received $450. After replacing the essentials, almost nothing remained for home repairs — and nowhere near the $5,000 a new roof costs. This is the gap where so many older Puerto Rican couples live: real damage, real need, and aid that doesn't come close.

During PRoTechos' first visit to Cataño, a Juana Matos community leader brought us to their door. Our initial assessment found a broken electrical connection that had to be repaired before any work on a metal roof could safely begin — and with pandemic-era wait times at the power company, that meant weeks of waiting. Once the line was fixed, our team moved fast: in under six days we measured the home, built the work plan, ordered materials, and installed a hurricane-resistant roof.

Doris and Felix's roof was one of the first PRoTechos completed in Cataño — the beginning of a partnership with the municipality that has since brought safe roofs to many more Juana Matos families.