According to official estimates, Maria had triggered 41,000 landslides that had blocked all but some 644 kilometers (400 miles) of Puerto Rico’s 27,000 kilometers (16,700 miles) of roads. The Federal Emergency Management Administration (fema), the u.s. agency in charge of handling natural disasters, reported that the island’s entire population of 3.4 million was without power the day after and that 95 percent of all cell towers were knocked out by the storm, not to mention land lines.
In the end, Fresenius Medical Care staff were able to communicate with clinics and staff members by various means. Equally urgent, though, was the need to help the 1,000 or so Fresenius Medical Care employees on the island and their families. Many had suffered wind or water damage to their homes or even lost them in the storm. The Company flew in a total of seven charter cargo jets with dialysis supplies, water, food and scrubs. “We delivered all the things they needed to keep everyone fed,” says Loeper.