Disaster related stressors have shown to significantly affect the mental and functional capacity of the geriatric population. Therefore, for the first time in Puerto Rico, the Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived Needs (HESPER) scale was used to measure the problems faced by individuals after Hurricane Maria. This study serves to better understand the perceived needs and stressors of this population in an emergency setting. The data collected could assist in the development of guidelines in the event of a future disaster and predict possible consequences. A cross-sectional study was conducted to participants ≥ 65 years with a sample size of N=1,000, residing in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Perceived needs were measured using the HESPER Scale. Participants were selected from the catchment area of the ADI 10/66 study cohort, a longitudinal population-based dementia research. In the catchment area, 233 participants with previously diagnosed dementia were identified. HESPER scale was performed on available participants. Health and distress persisted as the two most frequent perceived needs. Data shows 44.3 % of participants reported living with a serious health problem, while 31.2 % reported serious psychological distress. The third most frequent need varied among age groups, being income, transportation and separation from family members. Furthermore, data showed that people who perceive a serious health problem are about 4 times (OR: 3.55) more likely to experience distress. Only 5.2 % of selected participants previously diagnosed with dementia completed the HESPER interview, 221 participants identified with dementia 5 years earlier were deceased, relocated outside the catchment area or unable to reply.