Disaster relief involves multiple organizations looking to get hundreds of thousands of people water, food, and other necessities all in a matter of days – an effort that presents a great deal of logistical challenges. Being without electricity, drivable roads or cell phone service on most of the island makes these challenges exponentially worse.

Fortunately, Teamsters are resourceful. Relief workers often communicate by text, and they travel in teams. The San Juan Coliseum where the relief workers are staying doubles as a distribution center. On the basketball court in the middle of the coliseum, a night shift of workers bundle relief packages of food, water, and other emergency supplies. The day shift distributes these packages to the community, and the division of labor creates maximum efficiency.

“This was a little scary at first, but I’m here now, and I’m here to take care of people” said Alvara Sosa, a cement truck driver from Local 282. “Plan for the worst, hope for the best, that’s what we do. Hopefully people can be back here safe real soon.”

Donate to Teamsters Disaster Relief today! https://tdr.teamster.org/

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