Hurricane Maria Disaster Relief
OE-0026 - February 2018 - SAF 2 - Caribbean - USA - Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria is regarded as being the worst natural disaster on record to affect Dominica and Puerto Rico. The tenth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide of 2017, Maria was the thirteenth named storm, eighth consecutive hurricane, fourth major hurricane, second Category 5 hurricane, and the deadliest storm of the hyperactive 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. At its peak, the hurricane caused catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the northeastern Caribbean, compounding recovery efforts in the areas of the Leeward Islands already struck by Hurricane Irma. Maria was the third consecutive major hurricane to threaten the Leeward Islands in two weeks, after Irma had made landfall in several of the islands two weeks prior and Hurricane Jose passed dangerously close shortly afterward, bringing tropical storm force winds to Barbuda (Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Maria). On this mission, members of the Rotary team returned to deliver support for ongoing reconstruction efforts in the Moca region and a wide scale Flu and Tetanus Toxoid vaccination effort in northwestern Puerto Rico in partnership with Rotary of Moca and the parish of Nuestra Senora de la Monserrate. Overwatch was conducted by OpEndev and Wings Of Michael S.A.R. Mission Controllers.