Hope after Maria

CELINA - Seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico made Celina resident Rich Barger want to help in any way he could.

Barger, a Grand Lake United Methodist Church member, signed up with seven others through the Western Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church to do mission work in the island territory. The trip lasted a week, with the team arriving in Puerto Rico on March 24 and returning home on April 2.

Two of the first things he noticed upon his arrival, Barger said were that so much of the island was "covered in about three feet of debris and dozens of homes without roofs."

"It was like what happened to Celina after the tornado, but a whole lot bigger," he said.

His group stayed at Iglesia Metodista church camp, south of Arecibo on the northern coast of the island. They traveled on a one-lane highway and navigated their way along narrow roads to get to the inland worksite each day. The team had some close calls, but most motorists drive compact cars and are used to operating in the rugged terrain, he said.

Three or four houses needed to be repaired at the worksite, but the group had time to work on only one, he said. Each belonged to families left with nothing after the storm.
"We're doing a service for the have-nots. They have nothing," he said.
The home they chose to repair has belonged to the same family for generations. The owner had been living in a refugee camp for the last seven months and "wanted to get home," Barger said.
Arriving at the job site their first day, the workers realized they had no tools or supplies available. So they had to drive to the nearest operating hardware store, which was back on the coast.

The team built trusses and rafters to be installed onto the cinderblock walls erected by a previous group. Before they could do that, however, they had to assemble their own ladders and sawhorses.

Barger said he had little experience as a handyman, so he learned as he went.

Islanders were always happy to see the group, who stood out from the locals, and always expressed their gratitude, he noted.

"Folks that we met were emotionally thankful," he said. "Not that they wept or cried, but you got hugs. You got kisses. You got handshakes and pats on the back just about everywhere you went."

Barger said living conditions were not like Celina's. They were instructed not to drink the water and to consume only bottled water. A generator at the campsite ran six hours a day, providing the only electricity. They ate catered meals provided by the church. The food wasn't bad, Barger recalled. Traditional American food was served along with some local cuisine so they felt more at home.

Hurricane Maria, which struck Sept. 20, is regarded as the worst natural disaster to have hit Puerto Rico, causing billions of dollars in damage. During their trip, Barger said he and the other group members couldn't help but wonder the reason why so little has been done to provide aid.

Their interpreter hadn't had utility services restored until January, and their driver had his restored only in February.

Asked what still needs to be done, Barger said "everything," but first they need to "get people out of refugee camps (and) back into their homes."

Barger said he feels good about doing his part.

"It was an experience I'm going to remember," he said.