A year after Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico, we returned to some of the hardest hit areas to meet with local community leaders, civil society organizations, and affected households where these encounters left us alarmed.
Amid Hurricane María Disaster in Puerto Rico, Strong Community Leaders Emerge
In the face of insufficient assistance from federal and Puerto Rican authorities in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, ordinary people have stepped up to become strong community leaders—ultimately strengthening community resilience and self-reliance. Yet they are largely being left out of recovery plans.
RI Challenges FEMA Move to Pull Up Stakes in Puerto Rico While Island Still Struggles to Recover
Refugees International is deeply concerned that FEMA is prematurely winding down its disaster support for Puerto Rico as hurricane season gets underway.
“Not doing anything is no longer acceptable”: Q&A with Alice Thomas, climate refugee expert
Mongaby interviewed Alice Thomas, RI’s climate displacement program manager, about the growing impact of climate change on the refugee crisis worldwide.
UN Must Address Climate Displacement in Global Compact on Migration
Refugees International is calling on the United Nations to address climate change-related human mobility in the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, and include protections for people moving in the context of climate change-related adverse effects.
The Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration: Protecting People Uprooted by Disasters and Climate Change
As UN member states discuss the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees, they must consider the needs of individuals impacted by natural disasters and climate change.
Six Months After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s Civil Society Continues to Shore Up the Gaps
Six months after Hurricane Maria, the slow response to the needs of the Puerto Rican people continues to be woefully slow. The Puerto Rican and federal authorities’ failure to adequately respond has been nothing short of a travesty. Alice Thomas writes that if there is a silver lining to this disaster, it is the incredible dedication of Puerto Rico’s civil society groups in working toward the recovery of their communities and their most vulnerable neighbors.
Meeting the Urgent Needs of Hurricane Maria Survivors in Puerto Rico
The response to Hurricane Maria was largely uncoordinated and poorly implemented, prolonging the humanitarian emergency on the ground.
Two Months Since Hurricane Maria, Terrible Suffering Continues in Puerto Rico
In short, two months after Hurricane Maria pummeled this island, the U.S. response remains too slow and bureaucratic, and lacks transparency and the broad information-sharing that is essential to an effective disaster response.
U.S. Leads International Disaster Assistance Abroad, So Why are We Failing at Home?
For the first time in its 38 year history, Refugees International (RI) is conducting a mission to the United States. Over the next week, my colleagues and I will be in Puerto Rico where eight weeks after Hurricane Maria made a direct hit, urgent humanitarian needs remain unmet.