PUERTO RICAN INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
Puerto Rico Legal Project is a partner entity that operates as a free or low cost law firm and law advisory board dedicated to representing the rights and interests of Puerto Ricans all over the world. At Puerto Rico Legal Project, we believe that it is our duty not only to provide the most effective and ethical legal representation, but also to give notices and information to our clients and the community to help steer them through the daunting process of protecting their rights in the court system.
As a US territory all residents of Puerto Rico are Americans with all the same federal constitutional rights, federal work program rights and federal legal requirements. Although the equal status, PR has a roughly 8% unemployment rate more than double the rate in the rest of America.
As a result of this economic catastrophe over half a million Puerto Ricans, nearly 25% of the population have left the island over the last decade. Over 100,000 left just in the last few years since Hurricane Maria as an already stalled economy was ravaged by the Hurricane and slow government response.
The goals of PRLP are to help companies establish sustainable, job creating businesses that maintain the populations ability to remain on the island making fair wages, and preserving the culture and individuality of the Puerto Rican people.
In partnership with the Blue Sea Corporation, PRLP works towards clean water sustainability for the inland Puerto Rico Residents as well as clean water and restorative efforts in the rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. 2 months following Maria, half of Island families did not have regular access to clean drinking water.
Government and private companies who have used the island for numerous government, military, pesticide, chemical and much other testing have acknowledged 18 federal superfund sites. A super fund site is any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment.
During the aftermath of Hurricane Maria many residents had to utilize water taken from these sites because water was so rare because of rationing and price gouging. PRLP and Blue Sea Corporations goal is for this never to happen again.
The island of Puerto Rico has been part of the United States since 1898. It took until the late 1970s for the island to gain consistent electricity for barely 80 percent of residents. There are continued rolling black outs in some inland neighborhoods and they have to take turns using power so as to not over load the current the systems.
The power grid in place during the 70s and 80s, is mainly the same power grid in place now. There are a handful of power plants on the island and NO clean power plans or plants. All fossil fuels are shipped from the United States Mainland.
When Hurricane maria hit, the entire island lost power; 6 months later 50% had power; 8 months 80%; It wasn’t until almost 24 months after the storm that the power grid was restored to its capacity before the storm. Which is still very outdated and prone to power outage in storms, earthquakes and over usage. Most of the water pumped into neighborhoods is by electric pumps and so sustainable power also has a large impact on sustainable water to residents.
Our goal is lobby grants, monitor current funds appropriated to private companies, collect private funding and make plans for sustainable clean power resources. From single neighborhood, home and water pumping stations run by solar or water power; to a full rebuild of the islands power grid that is decades in need of repair over the next 10 years.
PRLP has been active since 2017 in independent quick first responder actions to hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other manmade and natural disasters. Their skilled team of Volunteer Rescue Team have participated in 100s of water rescues and other technical rescue efforts. They have also participated in bringing 100s of thousands of pounds of supplies both before and after major events to help the local people who need it most. PRLP has become a well respected Non-Government Organization Rescue Quick Action Team around the world through their professional, safe and efficient actions.
