Vieques Ready
Donation protected
NO ONE SHOULD GO WITHOUT THE BASICS BEFORE OR AFTER A STORM HITS
Vieques Ready Inc. is a nonprofit Puerto Rican corporation with an application for tax exemption as a 501c3 charity pending with the Internal Revenue Service. Vieques Ready 's mission is to provide storm preparedness and relief services to residents of Vieques, Puerto Rico. For many residents of Vieques, transportation is limited before a storm, and after a storm strikes, downed trees and power lines and lack of fuel often preclude residents from traveling by car to obtain relief.
Therefore, Vieques Ready envisions a neighborhood-based system to assist needy residents in preparing for storms and to provide immediate relief after a storm strikes. Each neighborhood center will have a kitchen with a storeroom stocked with nonperishable items and drinking water, along with emergency supplies, such as satellite phones and first aid. Additionally, a center will provide temporary safe housing during and after a storm for individuals in unsafe housing situations.
This effort has been started by Vieques locals Nathan Marr, a US Coast Guard licensed captain of Marauder Sailing Charters and his partner Edgardo Rosario Rentas, a native of Puerto Rico and experienced manager in Puerto Rican tourism and hospitality industries.
Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a small island (around 100 square miles) located 8 miles from Puerto Rico. Around 9000 people live on the island permanently. For decades, Vieques was the bombing range for the US Navy until protests started by local fishermen eventually drove the Navy out and turned the areas into the Caribbean's largest fish and wildlife refuse.
Vieques is a magical place. No stoplights. No golf courses. No fast food chains. It is a place of extreme hospitality where horses roam and breezes welcome visitors to the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is a place where locals are passionate about their island and culture.
When Hurricane Maria ravaged Vieques as a category 5 storm on September 20, 2017, we learned quickly that governmental aid was slow to arrive and restoration of basic services (electricity, water, and phones) can take months. We must rely on ourselves to be prepared and take care of each other before and after a storm strikes.
Because Nate is not able to set up personally this page, we (Jane Kurtz and Lisa Bassi) are assisting in this relief request and here are our words:
Jane: I've owned a small house on Vieques for almost twelve years. It is more than a vacation house, it is home to my family. My kids have grown up on the island during breaks and love it as I do. As a former lawyer representing nonprofit entities, and current writer , I promise to assist Vieques Ready in fulfilling its mission to provide preparedness and relief services. Thank you for any help you can give.
Lisa: I have known Nate since he was a child and watched with much pride and admiration as he evolved into the skillful, honorable adult he is today. He and Edgardo are competent and loving and very much part of life on Viecques as business owners, residents, employers/managers and friends and colleagues. They will ensure that the money Jane and I are able to raise through this site goes where it is most needed - to the families and individuals who will use it to survive and recover after the storm passes through. They are blessed to have the kind of insurance and networks that will allow them to recover as quickly as possible but they do not have the resources to help all the people who will need it and this is where we come in.
If you are wondering about my credentials, I spent most of my life in the financial services industry. I was a registered principal and a registered representative, employed by a Fortune 500 company for almost 30 years. I am now retired from that position, teaching yoga and working part time at things I love. I have decades of deep ties to the Caribbean and much admiration for the beauty of the islands and the resilience and skill of the people who live on them. My mother survived Andrew while living on Tortola. I will be happy to provide more details for those who wish to have them but rest assured I am honored to help as needed with the management and disbursement of the funds we raise.
Vieques Ready Inc. is a nonprofit Puerto Rican corporation with an application for tax exemption as a 501c3 charity pending with the Internal Revenue Service. Vieques Ready 's mission is to provide storm preparedness and relief services to residents of Vieques, Puerto Rico. For many residents of Vieques, transportation is limited before a storm, and after a storm strikes, downed trees and power lines and lack of fuel often preclude residents from traveling by car to obtain relief.
Therefore, Vieques Ready envisions a neighborhood-based system to assist needy residents in preparing for storms and to provide immediate relief after a storm strikes. Each neighborhood center will have a kitchen with a storeroom stocked with nonperishable items and drinking water, along with emergency supplies, such as satellite phones and first aid. Additionally, a center will provide temporary safe housing during and after a storm for individuals in unsafe housing situations.
This effort has been started by Vieques locals Nathan Marr, a US Coast Guard licensed captain of Marauder Sailing Charters and his partner Edgardo Rosario Rentas, a native of Puerto Rico and experienced manager in Puerto Rican tourism and hospitality industries.
Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a small island (around 100 square miles) located 8 miles from Puerto Rico. Around 9000 people live on the island permanently. For decades, Vieques was the bombing range for the US Navy until protests started by local fishermen eventually drove the Navy out and turned the areas into the Caribbean's largest fish and wildlife refuse.
Vieques is a magical place. No stoplights. No golf courses. No fast food chains. It is a place of extreme hospitality where horses roam and breezes welcome visitors to the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is a place where locals are passionate about their island and culture.
When Hurricane Maria ravaged Vieques as a category 5 storm on September 20, 2017, we learned quickly that governmental aid was slow to arrive and restoration of basic services (electricity, water, and phones) can take months. We must rely on ourselves to be prepared and take care of each other before and after a storm strikes.
Because Nate is not able to set up personally this page, we (Jane Kurtz and Lisa Bassi) are assisting in this relief request and here are our words:
Jane: I've owned a small house on Vieques for almost twelve years. It is more than a vacation house, it is home to my family. My kids have grown up on the island during breaks and love it as I do. As a former lawyer representing nonprofit entities, and current writer , I promise to assist Vieques Ready in fulfilling its mission to provide preparedness and relief services. Thank you for any help you can give.
Lisa: I have known Nate since he was a child and watched with much pride and admiration as he evolved into the skillful, honorable adult he is today. He and Edgardo are competent and loving and very much part of life on Viecques as business owners, residents, employers/managers and friends and colleagues. They will ensure that the money Jane and I are able to raise through this site goes where it is most needed - to the families and individuals who will use it to survive and recover after the storm passes through. They are blessed to have the kind of insurance and networks that will allow them to recover as quickly as possible but they do not have the resources to help all the people who will need it and this is where we come in.
If you are wondering about my credentials, I spent most of my life in the financial services industry. I was a registered principal and a registered representative, employed by a Fortune 500 company for almost 30 years. I am now retired from that position, teaching yoga and working part time at things I love. I have decades of deep ties to the Caribbean and much admiration for the beauty of the islands and the resilience and skill of the people who live on them. My mother survived Andrew while living on Tortola. I will be happy to provide more details for those who wish to have them but rest assured I am honored to help as needed with the management and disbursement of the funds we raise.
Organizer
Jane Kurtz
Organizer
Isla de Vieques, PR