TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | d e c 2 0 1 7 /ja n 2 0 1 8 20 Polo estimated that there are "tens of thousands" in situations similar to his grandmother: they survived the storm yet are now unable to get the medical care they need. He and Flores are doing what they can. Already, Texas United for Puerto Rico has brought back close to 25 patients on their humanitarian flights to Houston, and local hospitals have donated beds and are providing care. Polo's grandmother was on one of the flights. Dehydrated and weak, she was admitted to Memorial Hermann's ICU for a week with a severe case of pneumonia and is currently living in a nursing home in The Woodlands. "I know if she hadn't gotten on that flight, she wouldn't be here right now," Polo said, adding that he will be forever grateful to the individuals who have donated their planes, their pilots and their time. That generosity is what has struck the two friends the most these past months. The City of Houston, still reeling from Hurricane Harvey, offered access to their hub of relief supplies for those in need in Puerto Rico. And on the United flight, a fourth-grade teacher clutched letters from his students with messages of solidarity written in elementary Spanish: "We recovered, I know that you're going to recover," they said. "What we went through doesn't even compare to what you're going through." World Series champs On Wednesday, Nov 1., the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 to win the World Series. With the cameras still rolling, Carlos Correa proposed to his girlfriend in front of 28 million viewers at home. Hours before the start of the game, Houston meteorologist Eric Berger, whose Space City Weather website became one of the most reliable sources for weather updates during Hurricane Harvey, accu- rately forecasted that his beloved team would win 5-1: "Because, Harvey." He later tweeted, "We knew. After Harvey dropped 51 inches, it had to end like this. After the darkest night, the sun always comes out." The day after the World Series, Flores and Polo landed in Puerto Rico. They spent Thursday at The University Pediatric Hospital in San Juan delivering donations for distribution. On Friday, they took a private helicopter to Salinas, on the southern coast, where they met with the town's mayor and Correa's maternal grandmother, Carmen Arroyo, who lives nearby in Santa Isabel. The group was interviewed by radio sports commentator Raul Cintrón, a local legend who lays claim to the "The only thing we wanted was for our help to impact communities and make a difference," Polo added. "Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities or towns, and so far, we've sent help to 22." (Since this interview, that number has grown to 25.) The group is proud of the progress they've made, but they hope aid is increased in general—be it through other relief orga- nizations or government programs—so that theirs becomes a drop in the bucket. "It is uplifting and, to some extent, we feel good about it," Flores said. "But at the same time, the downside is that we wouldn't like to be the group that is actually delivering the most medications long-term." On the United flight to Puerto Rico, a Houston City Council member described their conundrum perfectly: "We are the people we have been waiting for." Anticipating a public health crisis Currently, Texas United for Puerto Rico has two separate warehouses in Houston filled with approximately half a million pounds of supplies. The group has set up a GoFundMe account for individuals hoping to help; the biggest need at this point is financial donations for planes, fuel and big-ticket items like generators—critical for an island that will be unable to fully restore power for months. "They call us every single day and tell us of communities that are disconnected from the rest of the island," Polo said. "It's not that they are not receiving help from FEMA, it's that the catastrophe is so huge, that what they are receiving is not enough. And they are begging for help." The island went back 100 years in the blink of an eye, Flores added. "You have the contamination of water and different food supplies. So we're going to see the epidemics that we're starting to see now—gastroenteritis, leptospirosis, conjunctivitis," he said. "In developing countries, people don't die from cancer or chronic diseases. They die from dehydra- tion, from diarrhea. So this is what we will expect in Puerto Rico, and we're already seeing it. People are dying from lack of essential antibiotics and things like that." In addition to the anticipated public health crisis, access to even basic health care has already become scarce. Numerous hospitals have been forced to close due to the power shortage and lack of fuel for generators. Diminished access to treatment—including dialysis, insulin, cancer therapies, medication and oxygen—has left thousands of lives in peril, especially the sick and the elderly. TOP: A bird's-eye view of the devastation on the way to Salinas. MIDDLE: Relief supplies are unloaded in Salinas. BOTTOM: Polo, Flores and a local pediatric surgeon carry donations to The University Pediatric Hospital in San Juan. Puerto Rico photos by José Rodriguez

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