It’s been 90 days since Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico and more than 30% of the island is still without power. With the holidays just behind us, there’s no better time to reflect upon, and raise awareness for, those who are still living in dire situations.
After the storm hit, Duracell PowerForward trucks arrived on the island for the largest deployment in program history – distributing over 2 million batteries and helping over 100,000 people and families in Puerto Rico over a 30 day period. A camera crew followed and captured beautiful yet devastating footage of life without shelter, clean water and power. The film, narrated by actor John Leguizamo, illustrates the resilience of the people and encourages others to help through conPRmetidos, a non-profit organization.
Alfonso Arteaga, Senior Brand Manager at Duracell North America, told us:
“Duracell’s PowerForward program provides relief to affected communities across the United States, Puerto Rico, and some parts of Canada by distributing free Duracell batteries, providing mobile charging stations and free internet access to those impacted by natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes or any type of inclement weather that knocks out power.
It is only when you lose it that you realize the importance of power in your everyday life. Simple tasks like cooking, bathing or simply moving around could be a challenge if it’s dark and you don’t have a battery powered lighting device like a flashlight, headlamp or lantern. In other instances, not having batteries during a blackout could be life threatening: diabetics who have a battery powered insulin pump or need battery powered glucometer to effectively measure their blood sugar levels, a hearing impaired or hard of hearing person who uses a battery operated hearing aid device, or a patient with high blood pressure who relies on a battery operated blood pressure monitor, etc.
Duracell’s PowerForward program also has a ‘preparedness’ campaign to educate people on how to effectively be prepared for any circumstance that may require them to rely on disposable power, like batteries, in order to avoid circumstances like the ones mentioned above.”
Links
https://www.duracell.com/en-us/program/duracell-powerforward/
