Year After Storm, Puerto Rico's Children Are Hurting
*By Christian Smith*
A year after Hurricane Maria devastated the island territory, Puerto Rico's children are suffering from more than displacement, said Save the Children's Puerto Rico director Luis Soto.
"One year later, Puerto Rico still struggles to recover from the enormous hit to the children and to the families," Soto said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar. "Not only in the physical infrastructure, but also in the emotional, and the huge number of educational hours lost by the children."
Hurricane Maria was the deadliest storm to hit Puerto Rico in almost a century, killing nearly 3,000 people ー President Trump's disputes notwithstanding ー and displacing tens of thousands from their homes. The storm, devastating in its own right, also uncovered and exacerbated infrastructure issues that existed long before it hit, Soto said.
To get Puerto Rico back on track, Save the Children has partnered with the American Red Cross to support summer programs and to install solar microgrids at schools across the island.
Save the Children is planning to remain on the island for at least another year, according to Soto.
Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, told Cheddar the organization is focused on storm-proofing schools, since the structures serve many purposes for local communities.
"Part of the reasons we're focusing on schools and putting up solar paneling on the schools is not only to get the kids back into school, but to have them serve as hurricane shelters," McGovern said.
"Having those schools serve as shelters and getting the word out that people need to find shelter during a storm is a big reason why we're aiming our recovery in that direction."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/one-year-after-hurricane-maria-heres-what-still-needs-to-be-done).
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