We Fed an Island

by Jose Andres

  To Ted Leonsis and Zack Leonsis and all the Monumental family: nobody cares more about community in Washington than you. And when Hurricane Maria happened, nobody came to our aid quicker than you did.

  To Fred and Karen Schaufeld, for caring for me at any distance, for making sure my well-being was taken care of, and for making my life easier when returning home. To Herb Allen, for all your support in easing my return home, and to Jeff Bezos for answering my calls for help.

  In Puerto Rico’s government, my thanks to: Beatriz Rosselló, the first lady, whose Stop and Go initiative we were proud to partner with; Leila Santiago in the first lady’s office, for always answering the phone when we needed help; Julia Keleher, for being an education secretary who tried to use the schools to feed the people; Secretary of State Luis Rivera-Marín, for supporting our feeding operation and being responsive whenever we called; the mayor of Ponce, Maria “Mayita” Melendez Altieri, who became a good friend, and who gave us early support to help her community.

  In the media, my thanks to so many journalists who were just doing their job, which was so much more than that. Especially to the forgotten photojournalists who gave us clues about where we needed to deliver food across the island. To David Begnaud of CBS News, Bill Weir of CNN, and Anderson Cooper of CNN and 60 Minutes: thank you for keeping us all informed, and for helping us feed the people because of your reporting. To Kim Severson of the New York Times, Jorge Ramos of Univision, Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America, photographer Eric Rojas, Rubén Sánchez of Univision, and political analyst Jay Fonseca: thank you for caring and taking the time to do such a great job every day.

  To our partners at Mercy Corps, especially Javier Alvarez, Jeronimo Candela and Neal Keny-Guyer: thank you for being agents of change. To my friends at Oxfam, for listening to us and giving us some direction. To Luis and Frankie Miranda at the Hispanic Federation: thank you for all the amazing work you do and for giving us credibility with your support. To Unidos Por Puerto Rico: thank you to the entire board for the amazing work you did, and for visiting and supporting our operations.

  To Juan Del Rio Martin of the Auxilio Mutuo hospital, for doing heroic transplant work in the worst conditions after the hurricane; to Jeffrey Akman of George Washington University, for delivering life-saving medicines; to the National Guard in Puerto Rico, who helped us complete our missions without any planning or warning; to the many volunteers from the United States Coast Guard; to the map-makers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose skills are under-appreciated but still incredibly valuable; and to the men and women of FEMA, who were away from their families for weeks on end, trying to achieve good for Americans in need.

  My special thanks to the many agents of Homeland Security Investigations, especially Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC) Jorge Uribarri from El Paso, for helping me find a close family member, and for delivering food and water to some of the most remote and difficult areas from the earliest days of our operation; to ASAC Bernardo Pillot from Atlanta; and to Group Supervisors Andres Maldonado, Michal Lopez, Walter Rivera, Mike Ortiz, Jerry Conrad, James Clark, Rex Setzer, and Ritchie Flores.

  To my World Central Kitchen family for believing in our mission: Brian MacNair, Kevin Holst, and Jeanette Morelan. And to our World Central Kitchen board for being so supportive: Fredes Montes, Javier Garcia, Jean Marc DeMatteis, Kevin Doyle, Lizette Corro, Rob Wilder, Victor Albisu. Especially to Robert Egger, who showed me how food can change the world, and who was my early mentor on all things to do with improving lives one meal at a time.

  Also to Mike Curtin, who has been leading the way in D.C. with the most forward-thinking NGO I know. To Patty Stonesifer, president and CEO of Martha’s Table, who has been so visionary in the nonprofit world. And to Bill Shore, because it was at Share Our Strength that I began learning the power of sharing knowledge with many women in D.C. through the Frontline classes.

  To Guy Fieri, for activating a food truck in the Napa fires: we are family now. To David Chang, for supporting us in Ventura and helping us raise money. To Eric and Sandra Ripert, for caring for Puerto Rico and looking after me from afar. And to Stan Hayes from Operation Barbecue Relief, for doing amazing work in Houston and elsewhere.

  To my doctor Kevin Kelleher for coming to my home at a moment’s notice to fix me.

  To my beloved agent Kimberly Witherspoon, who keeps pushing books right and left on my behalf and is always a good voice representing me like nobody else. Also to my friend Kris Dahl, who represents my friend Richard Wolffe and always has great words of wisdom.

  To my buddy Anthony Bourdain, who with the power of a tweet showed us early support and gave us a strong voice on many issues. To Dan Halpern at Ecco who believed without any hesitation that I could not only give him on time a vegetable book but also this amazing story of Puerto Rico. And to Matt Goulding for being patient and putting up with me as I let him down in the process of writing the vegetable book, and for writing my op-ed on Catalonia in the middle of everything.

  To my friend of the last twenty years Richard Wolffe, who has written all my bullshit all my life, and who came to be next to me without asking why. And to his family Paula, Ilana, Ben and Max, for following closely everything that was happening, and for showing up at Thanksgiving to help and support us in Puerto Rico.

  Above all, to my family: Nothing would be possible without a supportive family. To my wife Patricia Fernandez de la Cruz, who is caring, loving and the best friend a nutjob like me can have: I look forward to watching more sunsets with you until the end of my life. And to our daughters Carlota, Ines, and Lucia, who wished they were in Puerto Rico throughout, and showed up at Thanksgiving to help prepare and serve more than 40,000 meals. It was the best Thanksgiving we ever had.

  Notes

  Prologue

  1.National Constitution Center, “How a Hurricane Brought Alexander Hamilton to America,” 8/31/17, https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/how-a-hurricane-brought-an-important-founding-father-to-america.

  2.Letter from Alexander Hamilton to The Royal Danish American Gazette, 9/6/1772, accessed at the National Archives website: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-01-02-0042.

  3.Guardian, “Trump Attempts to Use Spanish Accent to Pronounce Puerto Rico—Video,” 8/6/17, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/oct/07/trump-attempts-to-use-spanish-accent-to-pronounce-puerto-rico-video.

  Chapter 1: Landfall

  1.Pritha Paul, “Hurricane Maria, Now Category 5, Blows Away Roof of Dominica PM’s House,” IBT, 9/19/17, http://www.ibtimes.com/hurricane-maria-now-category-5-blows-away-roof-dominica-pms-house-2591299.

  2.Mattathias Schwartz, “100 Days of Darkness,” New York, 12/25/17.

  3.Remarks By President Trump and President Poroshenko of Ukraine Before Bilateral Meeting, Lotte New York Palace Hotel, transcribed by The White House, 9/21/17, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-president-poroshenko-ukraine-bilateral-meeting/.

  4.Abby Phillip, Ed O’Keefe, Nick Miroff and Damian Paletta, “Lost Weekend: How Trump’s Time At His Golf Club Hurt the Response to Maria,” Washington Post, 9/29/17, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-trumps-time-at-his-golf-club-hurt-the-response-to-maria/2017/09/29/ce92ed0a-a522-11e7-8c37-e1d99ad6aa22_story.html?utm_term=.322d89eccc63.

  5.Christopher Gillette, “Aid Begins to Flow to Hurricane-Hit Puerto Rico,” Associated Press, 9/24/17, https://apnews.com/06f5077aff384e508e2f2324dae4eb2e.

  6.Terri Moon Cronk, “DoD Continues Round-the-Clock Support Following Hurricanes in Caribbean,” DoD News, 9/25/17, https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1323530/dod-continues-round-the-clock-support-following-hurricanes-in-caribbean/.

  7.Deirdre Walsh and Kevin Liptak, “Federal Response to Hurricane Maria Slowly Takes Shape,” CNN, 9/25/17, http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/politics/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-aid-donald-trump/index.html.

  8.Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, 9/25/17. https://twitter.com/re
aldonaldtrump/status/912479500511965184?lang=en.

  9.Abby Phillip, Ed O’Keefe, Nick Miroff and Damian Paletta.

  10.Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen and Ryan Browne, “US Military Sends Ships, Aircraft to Puerto Rico,” CNN, 9/26/17 http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/26/politics/us-military-response-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria/index.html.

  11.Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson, Letter to President Donald Trump, 9/26/17, https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/9e20326b-8beb-4363-acbb-a2bf4114bb63/478FE40F28C96847538E284DB334066C.17.09.26-smr-letter-to-potus-re-pr-w.-signatures.pdf.

  12.Abby Phillip, Ed O’Keefe, Nick Miroff and Damian Paletta.

  13.“DoD, Partner Agencies Support Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands Hurricane Relief Efforts,” DoD News, 9/26/17, https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1325245/dod-partner-agencies-support-puerto-rico-virgin-islands-hurricane-relief-efforts/.

  14.Mattathias Schwartz.

  15.Olga Khazan, “The Crisis at Puerto Rico’s Hospitals,” The Atlantic, 9/26/17, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/09/the-crisis-at-puerto-ricos-hospitals/541131/.

  16.Omaya Sosa Pascual, “Hurricane Maria’s Death Toll in Puerto Rico Is Higher Than Official Count, Experts Say,” Miami Herald, 9/28/17, http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article175955031.html.

  Chapter 2: Feed the World

  1.Jerry Adler, “Why Fire Makes Us Human,” Smithsonian, 6/13, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-fire-makes-us-human-72989884/.

  2.Jonathan M. Katz, The Big Truck That Went By: How The World Came To Save Haiti And Left Behind A Disaster (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013: pp. 35-52)

  3.Ibid, pp. 67-86.

  4.Ibid, p. 239.

  5.Ibid, pp. 217-44.

  6.Ibid, pp. 67-86.

  7.Ibid, pp. 204-5.

  8.Ibid, p. 106.

  9.Ibid, pp. 206-7.

  10.Ibid, p. 146.

  11.Michele Landis Dauber, The Sympathetic State: Disaster Relief and the Origins of the American Welfare State (University of Chicago Press, 2013: pp. 17-23).

  12.Ibid, pp. 79-125.

  13.FEMA video, “Southern Baptist Disaster Relief,” 6/15/13, https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/82819#embed-code.

  14.Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, “How Southern Baptists Trained More Disaster Relief Volunteers Than The Red Cross,” The Gospel Coalition, 11/17/17, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-southern-baptists-trained-more-disaster-relief-volunteers-than-the-red-cross/.

  15.Southern Baptist Disaster Relief website, https://www.namb.net/send-relief/disaster-relief.

  Chapter 3: Discovery

  1.Jorge Duany, Puerto Rico: What Everyone Needs To Know (Oxford University Press, 2017: pp. 9-12).

  2.Ibid, pp. 13-19.

  3.Ibid, pp. 24-29.

  4.Ibid, pp. 30-33.

  5.Ibid, pp. 40-44.

  6.Ibid, pp. 44-49.

  7.Ibid, pp. 92-98.

  8.Ibid, pp. 61-63.

  9.Ibid, pp. 81-82.

  10.Frances Robles, “23% Of Puerto Ricans Vote in Referendum, 97% of Them for Statehood,” New York Times, 6/11/17, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/11/us/puerto-ricans-vote-on-the-question-of-statehood.html.

  11.United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Puerto Rico https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/PR.

  12.Carmen Sesin, “Over 200,000 Puerto Ricans Have Arrived in Florida Since Hurricane Maria,” NBC News, 11/30/17, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/over-200-000-puerto-ricans-have-arrived-florida-hurricane-maria-n825111.

  13.John D. Sutter and Sergio Hernandez, “Exodus From Puerto Rico: A Visual Guide,” CNN, 2/21/18, https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/us/puerto-rico-migration-data-invs/index.html.

  14.Jorge Duany, p. 3.

  15.Ibid, p.163.

  16.Elizabeth Wolkomir, “How Is Food Assistance Different in Puerto Rico Than in the Rest of the United States?” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 11/27/17, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/how-is-food-assistance-different-in-puerto-rico-than-in-the-rest-of-the.

  17.Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, Eating Puerto Rico: A History Of Food, Culture, And Identity (University of North Carolina Press, 2013: pp. 17-21).

  18.Ibid, p 31.

  19.Ibid, p. 149.

  20.Ibid, p. 233.

  Chapter 4: Big Water

  1.Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, transcribed by The White House, 9/28/17, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-press-secretary-sarah-sanders-092817/.

  2.Omaya Sosa Pascual, “Hurricane Maria’s Death Toll in Puerto Rico Is Higher Than Official Count, Experts Say,” Miami Herald, 9/28/17, http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article175955031.html.

  3.Danny Vinik, “How Trump Favored Texas Over Puerto Rico,” Politico, 3/27/18, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/27/donald-trump-fema-hurricane-maria-response-480557.

  4.Report on the Competitiveness of Puerto Rico’s Economy, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 6/29/12, https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/regional/PuertoRico/report.pdf.

  5.Puerto Rico: Characteristics of the Island’s Maritime Trade and Potential Effects of Modifying The Jones Act, United States. Government Accountability Office, March 2013, https://www.gao.gov/assets/660/653046.pdf.

  6.Ron Nixon and Matt Stevens, “Harvey, Irma, Maria: Trump Administration’s Response Compared,”New York Times, 9/27/17, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/us/politics/trump-puerto-rico-aid.html.

  7.Press Gaggle by President Trump, transcribed by The White House, 9/27/17, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/press-gaggle-president-trump/.

  8.Natalie Andrews and Paul Page, “Trump Weights Waiving Law Barring Foreign Ships From Delivering Aid to Puerto Rico,” Wall Street Journal, 9/27/17, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-seek-waiver-of-law-barring-foreign-ships-from-delivering-aid-to-puerto-rico-1506529999.

  9.Niraj Chokshi, “Trump Waives Jones Act for Puerto Rico, Easing Hurricane Aid Shipments,” New York Times, 9/28/17, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/us/jones-act-waived.html?_r=0.

  10.American Red Cross/FEMA Memorandum of Agreement Implementation Meeting Summary Notes, 1/21/11, https://nmcs.communityos.org/cms/files///NMCS%20Meeting%201-21-11%20Overview%20Notes.pdf.

  11.National Mass Care Strategy: A Roadmap for the National Mass Care Service Delivery System, September 2012, http://www.nationalmasscarestrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/national-mass-care-strategy-september-2012-_comp.pdf.

  12.Remarks by President Trump to the National Association of Manufacturers, transcribed by The White House, 9/29/17, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-national-association-manufacturers/.

  13.Amanda Holpuch, “San Juan Mayor’s Harrowing Plea: ‘Mr Trump, I Am Begging. We Are Dying Here.’” Guardian, 9/29/17, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/29/san-juan-mayor-plea-donald-trump-puerto-rico.

  14.Abby Phillip, Ed O’Keefe, Nick Miroff and Damian Paletta, “Lost Weekend: How Trump’s Time at His Golf Club Hurt the Response to Maria,” Washington Post, 9/29/17, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-trumps-time-at-his-golf-club-hurt-the-response-to-maria/2017/09/29/ce92ed0a-a522-11e7-8c37-e1d99ad6aa22_story.html?utm_term=.10d7e31cc986.

  15.Juana Summers, “Trump Attacks San Juan Mayor Over Hurricane Response,” CNN, 9/30/17, https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/30/politics/trump-tweets-puerto-rico-mayor/index.html.

  16.Jim Garamone, “DoD Boosts Personnel Aiding Hurricane Relief Efforts In Puerto Rico,” DoD News, 10/1/17, https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1330602/dod-boosts-personnel-aiding-hurricane-relief-efforts-in-puerto-rico/.

  17.“DoD Accelerates Hurricane Relief, Response Efforts in Puerto Rico,” DoD News, 9/30/17, https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1330501/dod-accelerates-hurricane-relief-response-efforts-in-puerto-rico/.

  18.“FEMA Administrator: Puerto Rico Has ‘a Long Way to Go’ on Hurricane Recovery,” ABC News, 10/1/17, http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/f
ema-administrator-puerto-rico-recovery-relief-efforts-50208624.

  Chapter 5: In the Arena

  1.Omaya Sosa Pascual, “Pesquera Reconoce Que Hay Más Muertos Por María,” Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, 10/2/17, http://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2017/10/pesquera-reconoce-que-hay-mas-muertos-por-maria/.

  2.Jim Garamone, “Unified Coordination Group Addressing Puerto Rico Recovery, Governor Says,” DoD News, 10/2/17, https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1331056/unified-coordination-group-addressing-puerto-rico-recovery-governor-says/.

  3.Mark Landler, “Trump Lobs Praise, and Paper Towels, to Puerto Rico Storm Victims,” New York Times, 10/3/17, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/us/puerto-rico-trump-hurricane.html.

  4.Remarks by President Trump in Briefing on Hurricane Maria Relief Efforts, transcribed by The White House, 10/3/17, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-briefing-hurricane-maria-relief-efforts/.

  5.Caroline Kenny, “Trump Tosses Paper Towels Into Puerto Rico Crowd,” CNN, 10/3/17, https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/politics/donald-trump-paper-towels-puerto-rico/index.html.

  6.“US Military Beefs Up Its Efforts in Puerto Rico as Need for Vital Supplies Grows,” CBS News, 9/28/17, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-efforts-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria/.

  7.“USS Kearsarge (LH3) Providing Critical Hurricane Relief,” Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, 2/6/18, http://scnewsltr.dodlive.mil/2018/02/06/uss-kearsarge-lhd-3-providing-critical-hurricane-relief/.

  8.“Update: US Northern Command Continues Humanitarian Aid to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands,” Press Release by US Northern Command, 9/25/17, http://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/1323710/update-us-northern-command-continues-humanitarian-aid-to-puerto-rico-and-the-us/.

  9.Mary Williams Walsh and Alan Rappeport, “White House Dials Back Trump’s Vow to Clear Puerto Rico’s Debt,” New York Times, 10/4/17, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/business/dealbook/trump-puerto-rico-debt.html.