Through the efforts of an amazing group of Daily Kos members, hope has been brought to a man in the mountains of Utuado, Puerto Rico who only a short time ago had no hope at all. It’s so much more than material gifts or donations — you’ve reached his heart, you’ve made him feel safe, you’ve given meaning to the word miracle.
That’s the word that Don Feliberto uses more than any other each time we arrive, miracle. “Eso es un milagro, no puedo creerlo”. He’s still not able to comprehend how a group of strangers is banding together to help ease his pain after losing everything to Maria.
Your support for Don Feliberto has also meant so much to me personally. You’ve given me hope and determination, especially during the times when I’ve been short of both.
It’s been a bit of a trying month for me with 2 hospital stays to get my blood pressure under control, finally (doc sent me from his office directly to the emergency room when my pressure was 188/124), and then more doctor visits and tests than anyone should have to undergo. I’ve appreciated your well wishes as well as your understanding that life isn’t anywhere near “normal”, even here in San Juan. The blackouts and faulty internet service is definitely an inconvenience and makes not being able to regularly post frustrating, but, it’s nothing compared to the tens of thousands still suffering without any power or water after nearly 7 months, just like Don Feliberto. You’d never know his suffering from the smiles you’ve brought him.
Like thousands of others in desperate need on the island, Don Feliberto was denied FEMA aid. Without his consent, however, we couldn’t get any further information from the Disaster Recovery Center. Gaining Don Feliberto’s trust in order to dig through his personal life was crucial. Our determination to never abandon him, week after week of bringing your gifts, fuel, water and food created the necessary bond for us to move forward on his behalf.
Though Don Feliberto is disgusted with anything having to do with the U.S. Govt response to Maria, two weeks ago we finally convinced him to give consent for FEMA to discuss his case with us. We quickly discovered that he was denied due to lack of evidence of home ownership. We knew this was impossible — after pouring over all of his personal documents we knew that he was still paying off a second mortgage taken out 11 years ago. For whatever the reason, the FEMA inspector checked off on his form that Don Feliberto was a renter and not the home owner, case closed.
After getting over my anger, I presented the evidence of ownership and his case file was updated. This week I received a call from an overjoyed Don Feliberto letting me know that he has been approved for disaster relief — $12,251.30 for rebuilding and $5,858.81 for personal items lost in the hurricane! This is still far short of FEMA’s maximum relief of $33.5K per home, but, we’re grateful nonetheless. We’re hoping to fill the gaps with additional programs that Don Feliberto may qualify for, I promise we’ll do our best.
I hope everyone is as proud as we are for not giving up. Don Feliberto still has to wait for his disbursements, but funds towards a new roof, a new kitchen and appliances, and new furniture will soon be on the way, hopefully before our next hurricane season begins. His funds can also be used for generator fuel and food which will be a much needed relief for all of us supporting this effort — since delivering Don Feliberto’s generator we’ve been spending $200 per week on fuel, food and water. Again, Gerardo and I could have never been able to shoulder this responsibility without your support. Thank you!
We’ll be continuing our weekly efforts for Don Feliberto until his disbursements are in his account (and beyond) so your continued support is deeply appreciated. Our PayPal for this effort is NewPioneerPR at yahoo dot com.
I know you’ve been waiting for pics from our past month of visits, so here we go :o)
I’ve lost many night’s sleep worrying about Don Feliberto using his gas burner on top of that old salvaged tabletop propped up on old tires, so we bought him a new table at Costco. Here he is sitting down to a good hot meal of plantains stuffed with chicken and a side of greens, one of his favorite dishes.
Here are just a few of the amazing wish list gifts — the solar lights, lanterns and outdoor security lights are such a blessing. He now has lights inside and out even when he’s not running the generator! He especially loved his new tools :o)
Don Feliberto also looks great in his new clothes!
His closet if full of new jeans, slacks and shirts — I can’t even begin to describe his reaction, or my appreciation. Because of your amazing generosity Don Feliberto is finally free from his old moldy clothes!
We also bought Don Feliberto a small storage container with drawers to store his new t-shirts, socks and underwear… not nearly big enough!
Don Feliberto was so happy with the food and coffee that you guys sent. He immediately started brewing espresso in his new pot and serving us spam and crackers, doing his very best to be a great host and completely ignoring our protests for him to stop!
Each week we bring him 2 cases of water and a case of milk, and restock his fridge/pantry for the upcoming week. He keeps everything inside the fridge to protect his food from the leaking tarp and mold. Don Feliberto refused to go appliance shopping until the roof is replaced, so his compromise was letting us buy a new compressor for his old fridge and now we can keep things cold with the generator and not ruin new appliances with the constant moisture and unavoidable rust and mold.
Don Feliberto was overwhelmed with all of the new kitchen items you’ve sent (microwave, toaster, toaster oven, pots and pans, dishes, knives and utensils, etc) and he asked us to bring them back to the city with us in order to protect them from water damage. Thanks to all of you he’ll have a fully-equipped kitchen as soon as the rebuilding is finished!
To finish today’s post I’d like to introduce you all to 3 completely unexpected bundles of joy. 4 weeks ago Perlita, who showed no signs of even being pregnant, gave birth and moved her babies to the driveway right behind Gerardo’s car! We had been working inside the house cleaning mold from the walls all day and didn’t see them until we went back to the car just before leaving…
I grabbed an empty Amazon box and made a nest for them
Healthy and growing, last week was their first day out :o)
I’ll get mom spayed as soon as she stops lactating, and then get the babies ready for adoption. If you know of anyone interested in adopting, or would like to contribute towards our upcoming vet costs, please don’t hesitate to let me know :o)
That’s all from Utuado for this week, wishing you the peace and tranquility of twilight from Don Feliberto’s front porch.