Success Stories

Doris & Felix

Doris and her husband Felix are just two of the many elderly left behind after the 2017 hurricanes. This is their story. Doris and Felix have been living in Barriada Juana Matos for 21 years. Felix used to be able to climb up and fix the roof when it needed repairs. Now 84, he has developed Alzheimer’s disease which prevents this formerly handy person from performing any home repairs. Their home was built on pillars to protect it from the flooding that often affects homes in this community; however, Maria left them with 4 feet of flooding damaging or destroying everything in their basement, and the hurricane’s 200 mph winds and heavy rains damaged a significant portion of their home. 
During Hurricane Maria, Doris and Felix’s roof was extensively damaged and as a result, their beds, mattresses, and appliances were damaged. The couple, who survive on social security and veterans’ benefits, immediately applied for governmental assistance but were granted only $450. After replacing their bedding and necessary appliances, they had little left to apply to home repairs–and certainly not enough to cover the $5,000 cost of a new roof.
During PROTECHOS’ first visit to Cataño, a Juana Matos community leader led us to their residence. In our initial assessment, we identified a broken electrical connection that would have interfered with work on the metal roof. Unfortunately, customer wait time for electrical services was extensive due to the COVID–19 pandemic, so we had to wait several weeks to repair the roof. Once we were finally able to get an electrician from the power company to fix the problem, we were able to reconstruct the roof and provide a safe home to Doris and Felix. In less than six days, PROTECHOS not only measured the house dimensions, but also created a work plan ordered materials, and installed the hurricane-resistant roof.
Three years after Irma and Maria, thanks to donors like you, PROTECHOS continues to provide free roofing services to the thousands of people in need, as we train communities to build resiliently. Please help us continue to help the most vulnerable while building capacity where it is most needed in underserved areas throughout Puerto Rico.

Juan

It is the spring of 2021 and nearly four years since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island – yet thousands of residents in Puerto Rico are still living without the security of a strong roof.  At PRoTechos we continue to further our efforts of rebuilding roofs and training apprentices in order to address this issue. Through our partnership with the municipality PRoTechos continues to focus our efforts on households in Cataño, where we identified several vulnerable families who urgently need our help. Thanks to the support we are receiving from donors, we are able to meet these urgent needs. Here is the story of one family in Cataño who now has a new roof and our newest apprentice, Denise, who had a hand in making it happen.

Juan, age 61, shares his family home with his wife in Neighborhood Juana Matos.Their home sustained a great deal of damage after Hurricane Maria but that is not the only way this family suffered. Juan experienced a cerebrovascular accident soon following Hurricane Maria which has made a lasting impact on his life. Juan has worked diligently to regain his strength and the ability to speak. Little by little, Juan worked to patch and make small repairs to their roof, but the extent of the damage was so great that it required much more substantial reconstruction. A community leader shared Juan’s case with PRoTechos, and we were able to spring into action and make the repairs necessary to ensure that Juan and his wife have a strong roof for the future.

Through our work at Juan’s house, we were also able to further our mission by training our new apprentice, Denise, age 23 from Rio Piedras. Denise studied Culture and Tourism at the University of Puerto Rico. Denise was eager to join the team at PRoTechos to make an impact on her community and learn valuable skills. Denise is very attentive to detail and brings much compassion to her work. She and Juan quickly developed a friendship while working at his home and Denise would often take the lead on communicating with him throughout each step of work on his roof. These relationships of mutual support are such an important part of the work we do at PRoTechos. Denise definitely has a bright future at PRoTechos and beyond.

More than three years after Irma and Maria struck the archipelago, it is through your support that PRoTechos is capable of providing the types of support and opportunities discussed above. PRoTechos continues to provide free roofing services and technical training with the hopes of building a more resilient Puerto Rico. Thank you for helping us to support the most vulnerable households in Puerto Rico while building capacity in underserved areas where it is most needed.

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