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This 81st Readiness Division structure at the Cpt. Pedro J. Parra Army Reserve Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico, lost its roof and rollup garage doors to Hurricane Maria's strong winds.
Built between the 1940s and 1950s, the dining facility at the Cpt. Pedro J. Parra Army Reserve Center received some roof damage during Hurricane Maria. A complete redesign will begin in fiscal year 2020.
New generators were installed at various 81st Readiness Division facilities throughout Puerto Rico to improve readiness and resiliency in the event of another natural disaster.
The Equipment Concentration Site warehouse at Lt. Col. Hernean G. Pasquera Army Reserve Center in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, received a new roof made of a special weather-resistant material to improve resilience in the event of another hurricane.
The Equipment Concentration Site warehouse at Lt. Col. Hernean G. Pasquera Army Reserve Center in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, underwent a complete remodel after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria.
Hurricane Maria destroyed many of the light poles at the Pvt. 1st Class Santos Cruz Aviles Army Reserve Center in Salinas, Puerto Rico. The 81st Readiness Division has replaced them with new solar-power poles, promoting sustainability.
Command Sgt. Maj. Levi Maynard of the 81st Readiness Division inspects a new air conditioning unit atop the Cpt. Pedro J. Parra Army Reserve Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Parra building is one of several 81st RD facilities that were damaged during Hurricane Maria in 2017. The 81st RD has been making repairs to ensure the safety and readiness of the tenant units who occupy the facilities.
Command Sgt. Major Levi Maynard and Area Maintenance Support Activity general supervisor Elmer Cruz inspect the new roll-up doors installed at the 81st’s AMSA shop in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Maintenance administrative supply technicians Emilio Corchado (blue) and Caesar Acosta (red) join Command Sgt. Major Levi Maynard and AMSA general supervisor Elmer Cruz for a candid photo while discussing progress made to the facility since Hurricane Maria hit in 2017.
Major Gen. Kenneth Jones inspects a bathroom at one of the 81st’s facilities in Puerto Nuevo, which received substantial repairs after Hurricane Maria.
Command Sgt. Major Levi Maynard inspects the faucet at one of the 81st’s facilities in Puerto Nuevo, which received substantial repairs after Hurricane Maria.
Spc. Richardo Lamoso, a 92W – Water Treatment Specialist with the 973rd Quartermaster Company from Ceiba, Puerto Rico, explains how the 1500 Tactical Water Purification System, or TWPS, uses reverse osmosis to create clean, safe water to drink from the murky lake water nearby. Lamoso and the TWPS were integral during the Sep. 2017 category 5 Hurricane Maria that devastated his home island. The 973rd Quartermaster “Water Dogs” used this system to produce about 1.5 million gallons of safe drinking water to the people of Puerto Rico.
Members of the 973rd Quartermaster Company from Ceiba, Puerto Rico, fill four water cells with clean, purified water they created using a 1500 Tactical Water Purification System, or TWPS.
Members of the 973rd Quartermaster Company from Ceiba, Puerto Rico, fill four water cells with clean, purified water they created using a 1500 Tactical Water Purification System, or TWPS. The water was used by to cook, show and hydrate over 400 Soldiers training nearby.
Col. Manuel Ocasio, 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico deputy commander (left) shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Alexander Green, member of the House Homeland Security Committee, (right), shortly after the Army Reserve-PR presentation, March 2, at Fort Buchanan.
Col Manuel Ocasio, 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico Deputy Commander, met here with members of a House Homeland Security Committee, Mar 2, who traveled to Puerto Rico to conduct oversight on Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Army Corps of Engineers storm recovery.
Brego takes a break from his duties as a certified therapy dog during Hurricane Maria. The five year old Belgian Malinois was assisting his dad, David Schultz, a Senior Volunteer Advisor with the Army Reserve, with volunteer recovery operations in the aftermath of the 2017 storm that devastated Puerto Rico and the surrounding territories. Brig. Gen. Dustin "Ana" Shultz is the commander of U.S. Army Reserve's 1st Mission Support Command, the largest federal Army Command in the Caribbean, and has more than 5,000 Soldiers all across Puerto Rico and in the Virgin Islands. (Photo courtesy David Schultz)
Sgt. Jose Ruiz, a Satellite Communications Systems Operator assigned to the 35th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, configures a Phoenix Satellite terminal during the unit's annual training exercise at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug 13, 2018.
Private 1st Class Natacha Altache (front) and Spec. Jose Santiago (back), Nodal Network Systems Operators and Maintainers from Charlie Company, 35th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, configure a communication shelter during the unit's annual training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug 13, 2018.
Twins Bryant Omar and Bryant Yohel Ramos, both specialists assigned to the 390th Transportation Company Seaport Operations in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, embrace a friend during a food and water distribution mission at the Jaime A. Collazo del Rio High School in Morovis, PR, November 7. Omar and Yohel learned that their friend was moving to the mainland after having lost her job due to Hurricane Maria.
U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers assigned to the 1st Mission Support Command, along with officers from partner federal agencies, load trucks with food and water to deliver to the different communities during Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Lares, Puerto Rico. October 20, 2017.
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Wiswell and Spc. Muhammad Hasaan Hashmi, power distribution specialists assigned to Delta Company, 249th Engineering Battalion, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, pull downed power lines out of debris caused by Hurricane Maria to help restore power in the Rio Grande, Puerto Rico area, October 25, 2017. Delta Company has been providing support to local engineers building and rebuilding power lines due to damage caused by Hurricane Maria. The Army Reserve is part of a synchronized Federal emergency response system for immediate assistance. Providing timely and appropriate response to an incident remains one of the Army’s key operational concepts. The Army Reserve’s enabling capabilities remain a key component of this system by maintaining a variety of readily available capabilities including aviation, civil affairs, engineering, medical, supply and logistics that can be committed to Defense Support of Civil Authorities missions. These capabilities help the Army and Army Reserve’s community-based force save lives, prevent human suffering and extensive property damage when domestic disaster threaten the homeland. America’s Army Reserve is the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal Federal Reserve force in the history of the Nation. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. Anthony Martinez)
U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers Spc. Jeffrey Lebron and Sgt. Sergio Alvarado, assigned to the 432nd Transportation Company in Ceiba, PR, secure pallets of water that were transported to el Departamento de la Vivienda in San Juan, October 7.
Soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve - Puerto Rico clears a road in the mountains of Puerto Rico, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, 2017.
Army Reserve - Puerto Rico Soldiers clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, 2017.
U.S. Army Reserve - Puerto Rico Soldiers conduct fueling operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, 2017.
U.S. Army Reserve - Puerto Rico Soldiers perform duty at the Ponce Harbor, as they managed, staged and distributed materials to restore the electric grid across the island, in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the aftermath of hurricane Maria.
Sgt. Axel Ayala and Sgt. Carolina Ortega, both students attending the Mortuary Affairs Specialist Course, work together to set up one side of the Mobile Integrated Remains Collection Systems, a system that allows Soldiers to provide mortuary service capabilities throughout the world, regardless of terrain or location. The course was held at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, May 12-28.
Staff Sgt. Luis Garcia, the lead instructor for a Mortuary Affairs Specialist Course, explains how to set up the Mobile Integrated Remains Collection Systems. The MIRCS allows Soldiers to provide mortuary service capabilities throughout the world, regardless of terrain or location.
Staff Sgt. Luis Garcia, assigned to 5th Multifunctional Battalion, 94th Training Division – Force Sustainment, 80th Training Command (Total Army School System), instructs 11 students about the requirements of working with remains and personnel effects during a Mortuary Affairs Specialist Course. The two-week class was held at held at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, May 12-28.
HURRICANE MARIA NEWS
Weathering the storm: 81st RD makes major progress in Puerto Rico
Major Gen. Kenneth Jones inspects a bathroom at one of the 81st’s facilities in Puerto Nuevo, which received substantial repairs after Hurricane Maria.
Nov. 14, 2019 - The 81st Readiness Division Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Jones, and Command Sgt. Maj. Levi Maynard visited Puerto Rico to check on recovery progress made since Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. The hurricane caused...

Fort Buchanan and Hurricane Maria: A Look Back at Lessons Learned
Nov. 14, 2019 - In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, lost a basic service - refuse collection. But, with the post's proactive solid waste management, recovery was within reach...

Army Reserve-Puerto Rico briefs U.S. House Homeland Security committee members
Col. Manuel Ocasio, 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico deputy commander (left) shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Alexander Green, member of the House Homeland Security Committee, (right), shortly after the Army Reserve-PR presentation, March 2, at Fort Buchanan.
March 4, 2019 - Col. Manuel Ocasio, 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico deputy commander, met here with members of a House Homeland Security Committee, March 2, who traveled to Puerto Rico to conduct oversight on...

Through a dog's eyes: Disaster recovery in the face of Hurricane Maria
Brego takes a break from his duties as a certified therapy dog during Hurricane Maria. The five year old Belgian Malinois was assisting his dad, David Schultz, a Senior Volunteer Advisor with the Army Reserve, with volunteer recovery operations in the aftermath of the 2017 storm that devastated Puerto Rico and the surrounding territories. Brig. Gen. Dustin
Oct. 11, 2018 - As a recent Texas transplant, you’d think the biggest challenge I’d face in my move to Puerto Rico would be learning a new language. Instead, after three hurricanes in less than a month, I came away with a new appreciation...

Hometown heroes receive recognition
Maj. Gen. William Shane Lee, the Commander of the 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support), awarded 37 Soldiers from the 49th Multifunctional Medical Battalion the Humanitarian Service Medal.
June 27, 2018 - Maj. Gen. William Shane Lee, the Commander of the 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support), awarded 37 Soldiers from the 49th Multifunctional Medical Battalion the Humanitarian Service Medal on Saturday...

U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers in Puerto Rico ready for 2018 hurricane season
Soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve - Puerto Rico clears a road in the mountains of Puerto Rico, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, 2017.
June 11, 2018 - As the 2018 hurricane season begins, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers in Puerto Rico, who are part of the largest federal U.S. Army command permanently stationed in the Caribbean, are ready to assist civil authorities in case of...
Army Reserve Family Programs ensures Soldiers and Family members are connected to resources within their community. Support specialists are available at 1-844-663-3269 or at Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647. 
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