A Social Worker’s Account Of Her First Days In Puerto Rico In The Wake Of Hurricane Fiona

By Tamar Shlesinger

San Juan, – My name is Tamar Shlesinger, I have a Ph.D. in social work and I am a volunteer with United Hatzalah of Israel. Currently, I am taking part in the organization’s delegation to Puerto Rico to offer psychological and medical aid in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.

I landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday morning with my 5 partners, all United Hatzalah volunteers with a background in psychological treatment and emergency medical aid. After members of the local Jewish community warmly welcomed us at the Chabad house, we started by trying to identify the needs of the population. We were connected with Levid Ortiz, the Director of PR4PR, who has been spearheading support efforts for many of the underprivileged communities. He identified communities that had so far been left out of the larger relief effort, and it was here that we focused our attention.

We drove to a warehouse where humanitarian equipment and food were being packaged in order to be distributed to the population the next day. Distributing food and equipment is not the principal goal of our mission. Rather, it will serve as a way to establish a connection with the local population, in order to then be able to assist with our specific capabilities as members of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit (PCRU), whose expertise lies in providing psychological and emotional stabilization.

On Saturday morning, we woke up early and started preparing ourselves for the busy day ahead of us. We did not really know what to expect. One of the main questions for us was what was the type of trauma experienced by people we would find? Are people mourning relatives, or “just” the destruction of their properties? This would determine our approach to treating them.

We were joined by a number of locals, who had medical training and wanted to help our efforts in treating those who suffered major losses due to Hurricane Fiona. They acted as translators and additional helping hands. We were glad for the companionship.

When we arrived in the first community, we witnessed the heavy destruction wrecked by the hurricane, which caused the local network of rivers to overflow, destroying thousands of houses. Thankfully, we understood that human casualties had been few.

Speaking to residents, one of the recurring themes that we heard from them is the cumulative effect of being hit by two major hurricanes within the span of 5 years. The island had barely started recovering from Hurricane Maria, which wrecked devastation of even higher magnitude in 2017 when Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico. Residents had feared a similar scenario, and now they told us that they were overwhelmed by a feeling of uncertainty about the future, understanding that such catastrophes could repeat themselves. Imagine what it is like to rebuild your house for the second time, fearing that it might be destroyed again within the next few years.

In response, we provided them with tools to help them manage the emotions they were experiencing. We sat with them and spoke with them at length. We taught them breathing techniques and ways to control their thoughts in order to avoid being overwhelmed by anxiety. We also found that a medical check-up by our EMTs went a long way toward making residents feel looked after and in control of the situation.

One of the encounters that made an impression on me was when I met Norma, an elderly woman. She did not speak English, so I asked her granddaughter to act as an interpreter. She started speaking in Spanish, looking very emotional, and soon she burst out crying, looking submerged with emotion. She continued speaking for a long time, while I waited patiently for the translation, convinced that it would be an expansive account of the difficulties she was dealing with. When her granddaughter finally translated, it turned out that this woman, whose body language seemed to reflect enormous pain, was talking about the fact that despite her sadness over her destroyed house, she was incredibly thankful that everyone in her family was healthy. She saw meaning in the fact that her family was able to help others, as her son, an engineer, was taking part in efforts to rebuild houses.

The ability to acknowledge the pain and the anxiety about the future on the one hand, while continuing to look at things with a broader perspective and see meaning in giving to others, on the other hand, was extremely moving to me. While a lot of work awaits us, Norma gave me hope that we will find the resilience to build on within the local population. I look forward to the days ahead and helping more people learn how to cope with the anxiety that they are facing in the wake of this, another storm, that has ravaged their homes.

(Photo credit: United Hatzalah)