Topic > Hurricane Maria: A Name Puerto Rico Will Never Forget

Have you ever been in a Category 5 hurricane? If the answer is no, let me tell you that I just wish you never had to have an experience like that. On September 20, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. All residents of Puerto Rico were part of a desperate humanitarian crisis. He crosses the entire island in sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and experiences Puerto Rico without electricity, without sources of clean water or food, and without any communications. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Hurricane Maria left 60% of people without water and 100% of the island in the dark. It caused 2,975 deaths and ended with telecommunications. The island has gone back 40 years. The hurricane brings torrential rains, all the rivers overflow causing anguish, devastation and terror. Brutal winds reaching up to 200 miles per hour broke light towers, removed roofs, bent traffic lights, swallowed trees, you name it. María was like a glass-shattering machine. Experience a furious sea with waves up to 25 feet high. It eats up the beach and much of the sand spills into the island's more touristy streets. In the morning it overwhelms San Juan, the capital, making it desolate. The catastrophe accelerates more and more. It was the worst weather event in the last 100 years. On the Mountain, where I was born and where I lived for 15 years of my life, one of the regions most affected by the hurricane, landslides swallow entire neighborhoods. The chaos is total. In less than 8 hours, María caused damage not seen before in a long time. The desperation in people is absolute. At 2pm Maria leaves Puerto Rico, but the queue continues to feel like a whip on the island for hours. Being without communication with my relatives was one of the worst things that could have happened to us. Making multiple calls a day and getting no response was the worst. We had no further communication with the island and after 3 and a half weeks we finally received the most awaited call. Every day my family members climbed to the top of a mountain so we could communicate and keep us updated on what was happening and their needs. “Helicopters began to fly over the neighborhoods. Puerto Rico has changed forever. It has a different geography” said Luis. The vegetation is no longer the same, it loses its majestic leafiness, its lush green. It seems burnt by fire. According to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, 98% of mature trees are broken, crushed, obstructed roads and paths. The sea has lost its unique color. It looks like a river. Muddy and dark. Only seven hospitals can be kept running thanks to generators. The water reaches almost to the second floor of the houses. People literally have water around their necks. The authorities arrive by boat to rescue them, just like in a movie. San Juan airport suffers a lot of damage. No one can enter or leave the island. Aid also failed to land or disembark. Flights were restricted for more than 2 weeks. Every single person was desperate. Puerto Rico was in an emergency situation. The authorities were focused on saving lives. On the other hand, 48 hours after the hurricane, the National Weather Service broadcasts an emergency warning for more than 20 cities. The Guajataca Dam threatens to rupture and pour out more than 34,000 acre feet of water. The nightmare doesn't end. The governor orders the area to be evacuated immediately. Residents say: "It's an extremely dangerous situation." Maria is the greatest the island has known since 1932.” What they were seeing in Puerto Rico was a catastrophe. Officially, one year after the hurricane's impact, the government revealed that 2,975 people died. Here.