By Lindsay Peyton 

Georgia Selfridge has been back home in Ballard for a couple of weeks now -- but she can’t stop thinking about her recent trip to Puerto Rico. 

Selfridge is a broker at Windermere Real Estate Co. in Ballard, where she has worked with numerous clients for the past 23 years. 

When she heard about the damage in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit, she decided to step up and go on a journey to a country she had enjoyed visiting in the past. 

First, she gathered up a small team to assist her in building an emergency water collection, purification and distribution site called a “DIVVY.”

Her “Team Puerto Rico” consisted of two friends -- contractor James Sorenson and Joe Willis with J&A Hauling, Clearing and Dumping.  

Selfridge brainstormed a plan, coordinated the moves and all of the logistics. Sorenson would provide the electrical and construction know-how and Willis, whom she calls “Muscles,” would provide brute strength and hauling expertise.  

“Georgia has this unbelievable big heart,” Willis said. “She’s all about giving back. So when she calls, I’m there.”

Selfridge’s next step was launching a crowd-funding campaign. Around Halloween, she dressed up in a Wonder Woman costume and made a pitch to her office – imploring them to help her head to Puerto Rico on her own relief mission. 

Realtors and friends contributed to the cause – and Selfridge made up the difference.  On Nov. 10, Team Puerto Rico boarded a plane and headed out. 

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Willis said. “I was prepared for the worst case scenario.”

What they found surprised them. There were uprooted trees, roads that had been washed away, homes flooded and no electricity or water – but in equal proportion was the indefatigable spirit of the people. 

“In the midst of the storm, there was still a lot of work to be done, yet there was this amazing beauty there, the energy of the Puerto Ricans,” Willis said. “There was this grace. The people of Puerto Rico were thankful to be able to get up and go to work. It was a humbling experience.”

Selfridge and her crew connected with the Mayor of the town, Moca – and worked with both the local government and U.S. Army to scout a site for water system. It was up and running a week later. 

“We accomplished what we set out to accomplish,” Selfridge said. 

She said that upon returning to Seattle, she truly took notice of the abundance at home. 

“The magnitude and scale of the destruction to the land and homes, as well as the infrastructure of Puerto Rico, is something that challenges the imagination and deeply rocks your sense of safety and security,” she said. 

She was hit by the fact that the disaster did not make the Puerto Ricans question their faith or love of family and country, but rather reinforced it.

“The graciousness and generosity of the people of Puerto Rico is alive and well and living without power or water,” she said. “What changed me forever is not the massive amount of devastation, not the suffering and the misery that comes from not having drinkable water or food, or shelter, but the profound humility and the magnificent humanity of the Puerto Rican people.”

Selfridge said that she wanted to help in whatever way she could. And she wants others to know that a little effort can go a long way. 

“Just do something,” she said. “When you don’t know what to do and you feel so overwhelmed, because these problems are so big, just do something.”

Willis said Selfridge makes helping others a priority. “Taking this trip was huge – but she does that for her community as well,” he said. “That’s the type of woman she is.”

He hopes her story inspires others. “People will look at her and see that she’s able to take the time out of her busy life to help others,” he said. “They can do it too. On whatever scale it’s on, big or small, take the time to help others.”