Davey got his first live glimpse of the storm’s aftermath touring Vieques, an island east of the main one, in January.
“It really humanized this whole natural disaster,” he said. “I live in Florida and we have hurricanes come through every year and we’ll lose power from time to time. The worst thing is my kids’ phones go dead and they can’t go on Instagram; it’s a minor inconvenience.
“Four months after Maria you still saw the impact of not having electricity or clean water and schools and hospitals are still closed.”
According to reports, more than 100,000 residents in rural, poor areas of Puerto Rico are still without power as of March 2018.
Davey returned to the island for the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico on March 18 in San Juan. After completing his seventh IRONMAN competition, Davey and fellow triathletes provided hands-on rebuilding support including clearing debris, painting, and cleaning several homes in the nearby community of Barrio Ingenio. The IRONMAN Foundation’s Hurricane Maria rebuilding initiative, in conjunction with New York Health & Racquet Club and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, provided more than $100,000 to relief support.

How Athletes Are Helping Puerto Rico's Relief Efforts

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