Puerto Rican chamber shares Maria update

Elizabeth Cuevas Neunder, founder and CEO of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Florida, was in Puerto Rico when Hurricane Irma struck.

The storm “drenched the island” and interrupted her flight home by a day. Hurricane Maria arrived two weeks later. The island wasn’t prepared.

“Puerto Rico was never ready for any hurricane season, ever,” she said.

Cuevas Neunder was the keynote speaker at this year’s Disaster Preparedness Seminar hosted May 31 by the Town of Longboat Key and the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce. Before the seminar, Cuevas Neunder spoke to the Longboat Observer about the state of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is still recovering.

“The islands are ... paradise, it has been said. But also they’re in jeopardy, and it’s not just Puerto Rico,” she said. “It’s all the islands around the planet. We have to be convinced of different methods to ensure that a lot of people are going to take things seriously and take the lead in protecting what has to be protected for humankind.”

She said it’s critical for U.S. residents to visit Puerto Rico for an educational experience.

“Our work has to be not just to let people know and teach people from other countries, we need to listen to those who are engaged in making sure that every person and animal is going to be taken care of,” Cuevas Neunder said.

Cuevas Neunder said protecting the food supply is crucial during threatening weather. 

In Florida, she said as a comparison, supplies can be delivered in a variety of ways. In Puerto Rico, there is the shipping industry, which was not available immediately after the hurricane. And air transport isn’t a sure-fire method because of damage left in the wake of storms.

The Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Florida is helping local farmers through the Agriculture Farm Fund, where 100% of proceeds, money and seeds go to farmers.

The focus is to have mainland farmers, agricultural suppliers and nurseries donate fruit trees, coffee, bananas, plantains and more to kick off the rehabilitation of Puerto Rican farms, the chamber’s website said. 

“We have a lot of people that don’t understand that agriculture covers many branches of livestock,” Cuevas Neunder said.