In September of 2017, two catastrophic hurricanes struck Puerto Rico within the span of two weeks. Irma, a Category 5 system with sustained winds of 180 mph, clipped the northeast coast on September 7 leaving over one million people without power. Hurricane María followed on September 20th. It brought sustained winds of 155 mph, 38 inches of rain, widespread flooding, and storm surges causing extensive damage to buildings, vegetation, wildlife, and vital infrastructures. Communication systems collapsed, most primary roads were inaccessible, and the power grid was decimated, leading to the second largest blackout in history.

Within days of the storm, a group of friends came together to bring power to underserved communities most impacted by the storms through the deployment of solar energy generation and storage systems. Leveraging an extensive network of groups providing critical services throughout Puerto Rico, they channeled funds and resources directly into the hands of those leading relief and recovery on the Islands.

Today, Resilient Power Puerto Rico is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization focused on strengthening communities’ capacity to respond, rebuild, and prosper in the aftermath of natural disasters. Central to our mission is the belief that uninterrupted access to clean, renewable, and independent energy generation and storage are the most important tools when it comes to engaging in recovery initiatives and bolstering critical public and social infrastructure systems.

The redundancy provided by these collaborations ensures continuity in the provision of vital community services related to health, education, food, shelter, and emergency management. In light of the lessons learned thus far, RPPR will continue to build adaptation capacities and increase local control of renewable energy resources to build more sustainable and equitable futures.