Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, bringing unprecedented destruction to Texas. Harvey was named the most powerful hurricane to hit the US since 2005, superseding Hurricane Sandy. The recovery is going to be long and hard - that’s why All Hands and Hearts has committed to being on the ground for at least two years, helping families recover from this disaster.

Hurricane Maria landed in Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane on September 18, 2017, killing 31 people, displacing over 3,000 people, damaging 90% of all buildings and 100% of all agriculture. Infrastructure such as electricity, water supply and telecoms were mostly obliterated. Our goal in Dominica is to work on the Paix Bouche Primary School. The school serves children from K- Grade 6 (ages 5-11) and also serves four surrounding communities.

On September 7, 2017, one of the most lethal earthquakes in Mexican history, a devastating 8.2 magnitude quake hit close to the southern state of Chiapas. Only 12 days later and a few hundred miles away, a 7.1 magnitude quake rocked central Mexico, toppling buildings, breaking gas mains, knocking out electricity and sparking fires across the city and other towns in central Mexico. The goal of our Morelos program is to rebuild Narciso Mendoza Primary School.

After more than three years in Nepal following the devastating earthquakes of 2015, All Hands and Hearts has helped to return families to their homes and kids back to schools in the districts of Kathmandu, Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot and Thulo. We are looking forward to reopening the program in September 2018 after the monsoon season with a primary goal to get children back in school.

Many homes affected by these flash floods have never flooded previously and were not on the floodplain. The rapid accumulation of water left homeowners little time to prepare.

On September 6, Hurricane Irma landed in the US Virgin Islands as a category 5 hurricane. The islands suffered severe wind and flood damage, reducing many areas to rubble. The need was further exacerbated after Hurricane Maria. Today, we are working on the islands of St. Thomas and St. John, undertaking mucking-and-gutting, debris removal, chain sawing, sanitation, and school rebuild projects.

In the fall of 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Puerto Rico, with the strongest winds the island had ever seen. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria’s ferocious 155 mph winds struck the island, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the biggest need on the island continues to be roof repairs. We have also identified community spaces and schools in need of clean up/repair and will continue looking for ways in which we can help rebuild these communities.

On September 6, 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma made landfall in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) leaving catastrophic damage in its wake. Two weeks later, Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit the islands again. The island of Tortola was severely impacted by these two hurricanes and we are currently focused on restoring severely damaged education facilities on the island.