School & District Management Photos

Puerto Rico’s Schools, Communities Fight to Recover From Storm Devastation

By Education Week Photo Staff — October 10, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Less than a month ago, Hurricane Maria slammed the island of Puerto Rico, swamping towns and displacing residents from their homes. Most schools are still closed to students, but many are now being used as shelters for displaced families. Education Week photographer Swikar Patel and reporter Andrew Ujifusa recently visited Puerto Rico to document the island’s efforts to reopen their schools and how residents are working to put their lives back together.

Norberto Collazo maneuvers his horse on a highway near a washed-out bridge in Utuado, Puerto Rico.
Gloria E. Colon, and from left, Glenda Ruiz, her mother, Rosa Rodriguez, and Ruiz’s two sons, Josh Rivera, 6, and Abdiel Rivera, 8, are using a classroom at Judith Avivas Elementary School in Utuado as their temporary home after Hurricane Maria destroyed their house last month.
Located in the in the middle of Puerto Rico’s mountains, Utuado, Puerto Rico, was devastated by Hurricane Maria last month.
Juanita Negrón Reyes, center, at back, principal of the Bernardo Gonzalez Colon School in Utuado, Puerto Rico, works with cafeteria workers to prep food that will be distributed to residents of the hurricane-ravaged town. Closed to students, the school’s kitchen is being used to feed displaced residents.
Jeremy Vasquez collects water at a relief station set up at the Ramon Luis Cabanas baseball stadium in the San Jose neighborhood of Utuado, Puerto Rico.
A relief helicopter takes off from near the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan.
Mariano Ramis de Ayreflor, 18, uses a downed palm tree as a bridge over a crevasse in his yard after running an extension cord to his neighbor so they can share electricity from his family’s generator in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Students participate in a “From Reading to Hope” event at Maria Vasquez de Umpierre School in Bayamon. School principal Jessica Hernandez and others organized the event to help students re-orient themselves.
Aliancy Arana, 13, passes by the flag of Puerto Rico at the “From Reading to Hope” event at Maria Vasquez de Umpierre School in Bayamon.
Xoimar Manning, center, reacts as chef José Andrés, right, tells her he will take care of her daughter’s future education expenses. Andrés was visiting the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of his effort to organize school cafeterias to feed those displaced by Hurricane Maria.

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Education Funding Webinar
What Schools Need to Know About the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit
What schools need to know about the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit: A practical guide from a licensed teacher and policy expert.
Content provided by LearningSpring
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Building Your School Safety Roadmap: Key Priorities for the Upcoming Year
What should be on your school's safety roadmap this year? Join experts to discuss priorities, preparedness, and best practices.
Content provided by Evolv Technology & IdentiSys

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion Schools Are Held Together by Spreadsheets. I Just Broke Up With Mine
What happens if we stop accepting administrative friction as just part of working in education?
3 min read
A community of people standing in a broken spreadsheet landscape.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
School & District Management How the Superintendency Is Changing, in 5 Charts
New data shows a trend reversal in superintendent turnover rates.
5 min read
Image of adults going back in the workforce.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week
School & District Management Building Problems Forced Students to Lose 3.5 Million Days of Learning in 2024-25
Schools called off class for 2 million students that year due to plumbing emergencies and other problems.
5 min read
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 26: Broken water fountains are shown at Key Middle School on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 in Houston. School leaders showed some of the infrastructure problems in their buildings that would be addressed in a likely vote on the Houston ISD school bond in November.
Broken water fountains are shown at Key Middle School on June 26, 2024, in Houston. A fifth of school districts had to call off classes during the 2024-25 school year due to facility problems, including plumbing emergencies and excessive heat and cold.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
School & District Management How Can Principals Protect Teachers From Aggressive Behavior? Teachers Sound Off
Teachers say they need more support to handle angry parents and unruly students.
1 min read
Image of a female being shielded by a large vivid red umbrella.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty