Project Coqui: Mission Update and Aftermath of the Earthquakes

The last Project Coqui article was published on July 1, 2019.  In the last seven months, I have visited Puerto Rico three times and have not published any stories.  Apologies, but I was hoping to make progress to report major activities with good news and a theme standing for education on the basis of our improvement, ethics, and empathy.  Unfortunately, the journey has been a long and rocky road to travel, with amazing trials, natural disasters, and historic governmental lows.  Please rest assured that my family remains true to our commitment to having a positive impact in our communities.

First, not only Puerto Rico experienced a one in 100-year hurricane season in 2017 but experienced a one in 100-year political fiasco during the summer of 2019, and we are currently experiencing a one in 100-year earthquake activity.  Let me share my personal experience and then I will ask you to support one condition, mental health.  Our team is small in size but large in influence.  There is no chronological order to this article, so let me share the problem definition first, followed by the “ask”.

In the months following Hurricane Maria, many lived in critical conditions and experienced many hardships.  The problem is, how to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and other psychological fallout.  We were just beginning to understand this problem and how to take proper action, then we were hit again.  Starting on December 28, 2019 and continues to the present, the southwestern part of Puerto Rico has been struck by an earthquake swarm of nearly 3,000, including 11 that were category 5 or larger, the largest being 6.4.  Affected municipalities have been designated Major Disaster Area.  The last time this happened in Puerto Rico was in 1918 and at that time the seismic activity continued for one-year.  I have lived in California and feel comfortable with earthquakes until I experienced the constant seismic activity in Puerto Rico. 

Screenshot of two-day seismic activity in Puerto Rico. Taken on January 27th from the App Earthquake Alert. The blue dot represents my location.

On my last trip to Puerto Rico, I stayed at a 102-year old wooden home in Calle Reina, at the Ponce historic district.  Most of the homes in the block are at least 150-years old and most had suffered significant structural damage, (photos below) the one I was staying at was one of the few exceptions.  On the evening of January 27, at 1:20 AM, I experienced a 4.6 earthquake (near the epicenter) that lasted about ten seconds.  The house shook violently, and the noise made me feel as if I was trapped in a psycho movie.  There were three more earthquakes in three-hours, so I could not sleep.  In the morning, I walked to the city center for breakfast and found very few people outside, few cars on the streets and no one at the local cafeteria.  Everyone I saw looked in distress or like a zombie.  The next evening there were no earthquakes, but I still could not sleep, maybe due to anxiety.

Before going to Puerto Rico, people from the island had reached out to me for assistance.  Also, people in my network in the U.S. mainland had asked me how they could help.  I have remained neutral because I wanted to experience ground truth and then identify a cause that I could genuinely ask my network for support.  The cause I would like to support is mental health, specifically two workshops for 200 community leaders at a cost of $600 each, and any additional funds would go to offer refreshments.  This half-day workshop will provide community leaders with essential skills for handling emotional crises after natural disasters.  A very good friend, Dr. Eileen Figueroa, President of the International Council for Small Business, Caribbean Chapter, a not-for-profit, is organizing everything and has received local support to keep the costs down.  I have the agenda, bios, and details, if anyone wants additional information to justify a donation.  Donation details are at the end of the article.

Let me share some of the stories I experienced or heard from firsthand sources.  A medical doctor told me that some children scratch their arms when they experience anxiety, others do not want to eat, play, shower, or sleep, others run scared and cry every time there is an earthquake.  Many families are “camping” in tents or in their cars, because their home is damaged, destroyed, or they fear for their safety in their own home.  In Ponce alone, five tall buildings in a ½ square mile area, near the downtown have been condemned, leaving 1,150 families homeless.  I met with Sister Mildred, the Principal of Colegio San Conrado, my former High School and she described how terrible the school situation is.  The Elementary School building (Kinder to eighth grade) and Convent are condemned.  All the students have been moved to the High School building and the nuns have beds in a very small room.  They have lost many students because they are in shelters and can’t go about normal life and many others have moved to other parts of Puerto Rico or left the island.  Many schools, homes, and bridges have been damaged or destroyed.  Puerto Ricans are known for not being good drivers, but when the tsunami alarm goes off, everyone in communities near the shore try to depart the area at the same time and make a two-lane road into five lanes and everything comes to a halt.  The problem is not island-wide, and communities not affected are helping the best they can.

I need to give special THANKS to Dr. David Matsumoto.  During his 30-years as a Professor at San Francisco State University, he established a comprehensive library of his research work areas.  He offered to donate it to an entity in Puerto Rico.  I identified the Library at the University of Puerto Rico, Carolina Campus as the right recipient.  The Carolina Campus has a Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice Programs.  All the materials were shipped and received.  Unfortunately, I requested a thank-you letter twice from the point of contact and it was not sent.  For that Dr. Matsumoto, I do apologize.  Culturally, we are humble people that give thanks and want you to know that the people in this network do really appreciate your actions.

Additionally, Dr. Matsumoto agreed to collect used Judogis (traditional Judo uniforms) to donate to children from low-income families in PR.  More than 30 uniforms were sent, eight small uniforms were donated to “Los Hijos de Belgica” a community center next to an elementary school that we adopted in Ponce and the rest of the uniforms were donated to the Down Syndrome Institute in Ponce.  Please see the photos below, the recipients were extremely happy, it was a bit emotional, and they send their sincere thanks.

Politics in Puerto Rico are toxic and I avoid them.  In July of 2019, Governor Ricardo Rosello announced his resignation after protests all over the island, including the largest protest in history in San Juan, which called for his ouster over a scandal involving leaked private chats, corruption investigations, and arrests.  Puerto Ricans protested all over the U.S. as well.  The new Governor Wanda Vazquez kept everyone from the former administration in their current roles, so it is business as usual.  I am trying to bring investments to PR, but the Federal Government lacks trust and confidence on the central government and everything is moving extra slow.

Our network dedicated significant effort to address workforce development, specifically training related to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Cyber.  A Silicon Valley company established a presence in Puerto Rico, hired a COO, started testing and identifying students for the first cohort, but later decided to delay the start.  I do not believe they will ever proceed, because they lacked a clear vision; essentially, they were learning in the “school of hard knocks”.  We hit the reset button, but this is a critical goal that I will continue to dedicate time to.

In the second page of this story I described my interest in supporting two mental health workshops for community leaders at a cost of $600 each.  Any additional funds would go to offer refreshments.  This half-day workshop will provide essential skills for handling emotional crises after natural disasters.  A very good friend, Dr. Eileen Figueroa, President of the International Council for Small Business, Caribbean Chapter, a not-for-profit, is organizing everything and has received local support to keep the costs down.  Businesses are struggling, mainly because many streets are closed and the impact has effected everyone in the southwest part of the island.  In one example, a business that used to consistently generate $100,000 monthly, only generated $20,000 last month.  The first training session is scheduled for February 28th.  If able, please mail donations to:

Dr. Eileen Figueroa

ICSB Puerto Rico and Caribbean

2250 Blvd Luis A. Ferre

Ponce, PR 00717

E-Mail: efigueroa@icsbprc.org

Cell: (787) 929-0377

Tax Exemption: 2012-1101-01-03

Demonstrations in San Juan over a scandal involving leaked private chats, corruption investigations, and arrests led to the governor’s resignation the summer of 2019.

Demonstrations in Washington DC

Demonstrations in Ponce

Judo uniforms collected by Dr. Matsumoto were donated to the Down Syndrome Institute in Ponce.  Their big smiles and appreciation were an inspiration and they already have a Martial Arts Instructor!  Last year they made a cash collection, bought uniforms for a few students and had a small team represent them at a competition in Florida.  The new donation will help most of the members have a uniform.  (Bottom right) Eight small uniforms were donated to Josefina Pacheco, the community leader for “Los Hijos de Belgica” a community in Ponce.

Sincerely appreciate your support.  God Bless!