Lifecycle Supports Puerto Rico

On September 6, 2017, Puerto Rico was hit by Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record. Then, just two weeks later, Hurricane Maria struck the island, leaving it completely without power. Irma and Maria were considered category 5 and 4 storms (on a 5-point scale) when they made landfall in Puerto Rico. During Hurricane Irma, winds were as high as 175 mph and made it up to 155 mph again when Hurricane Maria hit.

As hard as Puerto Rico was hit, unbelievably, it was only the edge of the storms that made landfall on the island. The Puerto Rican death toll from the two storms combined is now believed to be about 60 and 85% of Puerto Rico is still without power almost a month after Maria hit.

Besides not having power, clean drinking water and cell phone service are also limited, with 42% of the island being without cell service, and 36% of the island not having access to safe drinking water. Thousands of people are homeless and dozens of communities will need to be rebuilt. Puerto Rico’s Governor, Ricardo Rossello, is hopeful that half of the island will have power by mid-November and 95% of the island will have electricity by mid-December. The U.S. government is helping out by providing debris removal and other services through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

When Puerto Rico was hit by Irma and Maria, part of the Lifecycle Biotechnologies family was also affected. For the past two decades, Lifecycle has had many customers and a Business Development Manager residing in Puerto Rico. Many have suffered devastation at the hands of these storms. Some of these customers are starting to rebuild and come back online now that they have power again, but there are many who still don’t even have power, which of course also means no access to cell phone or internet service. Our Business Development Manager, Hector Almedina, has been able to find just a single location on the island at a truck stop where he was able to get cell service.

Some of our customers suffered much more damage than others, but they will all be facing challenges over the coming weeks and months as Puerto Rico begins to regroup and rebuild. At Lifecycle Biotechnologies, we know that your lab and your dedication to your own customers are nothing short of inspiring and we want you to know that we support you 100%. We will do whatever we can to help you get back up and running.

Whether you need sterile water, HPLC water, dissolution media, buffers, or anything else, Lifecycle is prepared to expedite the manufacturing and/or distribution of any supplies and materials necessary. We care about you and pledge to support you in any way we can during this trying time. Get in touch with us today and let us know how we can help get you back up and running as soon as possible.  Please also feel free to text, e-mail or call Hector and we will be there for you!