Puerto Rico is once again underwater and in the dark, as Hurricane Fiona lashed the island on the 5-year anniversary of the worst blackout in U.S. history.
For many Boricuas, the issues on the island are a sign of life before and life after Hurricane Maria. They were promised better, but things have only gotten worse. Earther interviews several Puerto Ricans, most of whom were in Puerto Rico during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Some interviews have been translated from Spanish to English.The week Hurricane Maria was set to arrive, a friend from Rodriguez-Cruz’s hometown called him. The call dropped halfway through the conversation.
When she saw that Hurricane Maria was set to make landfall over Puerto Rico, Martinez piled most of her possessions into one room of her apartment. She opted to hunker down with her parents in their home and said that the following days were chaotic. She and her family had to stand in lines for hours for services and supplies. Places that were only a half hour or hour drive away suddenly took more than three hours to reach.
He was in San Germán with his partner and daughter during the storm when one of their windows broke from the strong winds. He barely slept that night, keeping watch over his home and cleaning up water. Lugo also recalls that, to get cash from the bank, he had to wait in line for hours. He doesn’t think the Puerto Rican government and the federal U.S. government have done enough to prepare people for future climate change-fueled disasters.
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