It’s been two years since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, causing the deaths of almost 3,000 people. Parts of that U.S. territory are still trying to recover. Last week, Hurricane Dorian similarly devastated the Abaco and Grand Bahama islands in the Bahamas. The death toll there is still being assessed, but hundreds are missing and around 70,000 people are now homeless. Estimates of the damage are as high as $7 billion dollars in insured and uninsured losses.
Is there anything governments and non-governmental organizations can do to better prepare for, and aid countries in the recovery from, such devastating storms? The Knowledge at Wharton radio show spoke with Julio Cabral-Corrada, an MBA candidate at Wharton who co-founded Puerto Rico Rising, an aid organization that provided food and water to more than 200,000 people in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria. He was joined by chef Jose Andres, owner of numerous restaurants across the U.S. and founder of World Central Kitchen, a charitable organization that provides food aid after devastating storms like Hurricane Dorian.
Image: USDA photo of Jose Andres by Bob Nichols (public domain)
