Strong demand for cleanup crews in North Carolina

Oct 18, 2018
After recent storms, residents are still struggling to get back to normal amid mountains of debris.
“This is heart wrenching, you know?” says Randy Campbell, who with his crew clears debris after disasters. “We just come in and help clean it up and make some money doing it.”
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

Strong demand for cleanup crews in North Carolina

Oct 18, 2018
After recent storms, residents are still struggling to get back to normal amid mountains of debris.
“This is heart wrenching, you know?” says Randy Campbell, who with his crew clears debris after disasters. “We just come in and help clean it up and make some money doing it.”
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

How a chef helped serve 3.6 million meals in Puerto Rico

Sep 13, 2018
“Every time we made contact with a community, we kept going back, and we kept going back, every day without missing a beat,” José Andrés says.
With schools closed or only open for a short time, children across the island were a priority.
Photo courtesy of World Central Kitchen

It’s official: FEMA wasn’t equipped to handle the devastation of Hurricane Maria

Sep 5, 2018
A new report by the Government Accounting Office doesn’t bode well for future disaster relief.
 A flooded street is seen as people deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria on Sept. 25, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

For a recovering restaurant in Puerto Rico, sometimes it's just about making it through the day

Aug 29, 2018
An executive chef in San Juan describes life in the food industry post-Hurricane Maria.
An American flag and Puerto Rican flag fly next to each other in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Investors flock to previously flooded Houston neighborhoods with hopes of big returns

Aug 22, 2018
Some homeowners are eager to sell, but officials fear new renters will be put in harm's way.
In the Meyerland neighborhood in southwest Houston, Texas, house debris is still being cleared a year after Hurricane Harvey.
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

Why the death toll in Puerto Rico matters

Jun 1, 2018
In practical terms, the island has to prepare for the next big disaster.
People march to protest pension cuts, school closures and slow hurricane recovery efforts in San Juan, Puerto Rico in May.
RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

West Virginia effort to aid Puerto Rico is caught in Trump’s solar tariffs

Jun 1, 2018
With 2018's hurricane season starting, some families are still recovering from last year's storms.
Months after the storms, many communities on the island have no electricity.
Courtesy of Rebecca Kiger

With recovery from 2017 storms still underway, hurricane season begins June 1

May 25, 2018
Last year was the most damaging hurricane season on record, with storms Harvey, Irma and Maria wreaking hundreds of millions of dollars of destruction across the United States. The 2018 season gets underway in June, and some forecasters are predicting a normal to above-normal season. What does that mean for getting flood insurance coverage? Click […]

Following the hurricane, recovery in Puerto Rico takes different forms

We revisit a dairy farmer, a convenience store owner, a homeowner and a community center to see where things stand seven months after Hurricane Maria.
Clockwise from top left: Juan Orta says he's spent $75,000 of his own money to reopen his convenience store in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico; Cows at Vaqueria Ceiba del Mar in Hatillo, Puerto Rico; Luis Martinez, owner of Ceiba del Mar; Glorimar Rivera who lives on a street that was once covered in power lines and fallen poles.
Peter Balonon-Rosen/Marketplace