In response to the historical problems and current crisis, we offer a “visionary rebuilding” approach for remediation of the hurricanes' effects, and for a deeper solution to the environmental and other social injustices Puerto Rico has long faced. We have been able to continue our environmental public health work with pregnant women and children. Since the hurricanes, the research teams of the Puerto Rico Test Site to Explore Contamination Threats (PROTECT), the Center for Research on Early Childhood Exposure and Development (CRECE), and Zika in Infants and Pregnancy (ZIP) have worked tirelessly to address the needs of our research participants, partnering clinics, as well as the local team to ensure safety and wellness. ![]() Hurricanes Irma and Maria afforded attention to Puerto Rico through international news coverage and awareness of its colonial status, rundown infrastructures (especially the electric grid), indebtedness, and environmental hazards. Community organizations in Puerto Rico have been fighting for environmental justice for decades, often succeeding, and always confronting government unwillingness to address environmental protection. Both local and federal governmental responses have been extremely inadequate, especially in light of the long-standing issues of environmental contamination throughout the island. This article presents an overview of our research team's disaster response to the massive destruction of Hurricanes, Irma and Maria, in September 2017, in light of the 120-year colonial legacy and long-term, widespread environmental contamination in Puerto Rico. Meeker is a professor at Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Padilla is a professor at Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Cordero is Patel Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Chair of D, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Akram Alshawabkeh is Snell Professor of Engineering at Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts. Zaira Rosario is program manager at Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens Georgia. Hector Torres is a graduate student at School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico–Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Michael Welton is a research fellow at Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Murphy is a doctoral student at School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico–Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. ![]() ![]() Vélez Vega is Professor at School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico–Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Phil Brown is University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Health Sciences, and Director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts.
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