Puerto Rico is still struggling to rebuild itself from the trail of ruins left by hurricane Maria even though a year has gone by since it hit the island on September 20 last year.
Jubilee USA Network described this in a media statement citing religious leaders and a global media report on the conditions that the islanders are even now facing due to the hurricane.
According to a global media report, tens of thousands of people lack access to housing or reliable electricity. Meanwhile, over 130,000 people also migrated to US States in search of better life.
Besides, it added, some 60,000 thousand homes still have temporary or blue-tarp-covered roofs that would not survive a Category 1 hurricane.
"We all belong to one human family and need to care for one another," said San Juan's Catholic Archbishop Roberto González, reflecting on the sufferings of the islanders.
Puerto Rico Bible Society’s General Secretary Heriberto Martinez mentioned the exodus of people from the island for a better life elsewhere as they lost employments due to the hurricane.
“The impact of the hurricanes is that our people are leaving the island to look for employment and opportunities to improve the lives of their families.”
The religious development group Jubilee USA executive director Eric LeCompte called for an urgent move to rebuild Puerto Rico so that it can withstand the next hurricane.
"Congress and the White House need to come through with the remaining aid so Puerto Rico can rebuild to withstand the next hurricane," according to him.
"If a minor hurricane hit the island today, we'd see great suffering that could have been prevented. The clock is ticking."