Nearly three months after Hurricane Maria, parts of Puerto Rico are showing clear signs of recovery. But in Vieques, a remote island with nearly 9,000 residents eight miles off the main island’s coast, recovery is a long way off. There, some live in dingy conditions as they wait for help to rebuild, while others gather what they can to do it themselves.
Gregorio Velazquez Rivera, an 81-year-old who is blind, has left his destroyed home — which is totally unlivable — virtually untouched in the months since the hurricane.
He recently tore open an envelope from the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirming his address and basic information — an early step in the process of receiving federal assistance to help rebuild his home.
But when FEMA inspectors eventually come looking for him, they won’t find him at that address. The roof and several walls are caved in; the interior is a moldy mess of tree branches and destroyed furniture. One of the only things left standing is the bright pink facade adorned with a painted white horse.
“We need to rebuild a completely new house, it can’t be fixed,” he says.
‘No Man’s Land’: An Isolated Puerto Rican Island Struggles To Rebuild
Photos: Ricardo Arduengo for NPR
