Back to Puerto Rico after the Hurricane
Yesira Delgado 12/18
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    On September 20, 2017 a Category 4 hurricane, Maria, made landfall on the island of Puerto Rico. With winds of 155 miles per hour, it destroyed the lives of many in the matter of seconds, house were torn to pieces, trees were ripped out by their roots, and the island was left in complete devastation. The people of Puerto Rico were not in the least bit prepared for such a powerful and life-changing hurricane. A few weeks prior to Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Irma had struck Puerto Rico, but not much damage was done, so people did not believe The Weather Channel when meteorologists said Maria was going to be a Category 4 hurricane.
    As a child, when I would visit Puerto Rico, I always remembered it as jungle filled, with vegetation and beautiful, vibrant colors, but when I went back eight months ago in April, it was like being in a different world. The Puerto Rico I remembered was no longer there. More than half of the island had no electricity and families were moved out of their homes because it was no longer safe for them to be there. The trees were ripped out of the ground and the colors became dull. No one felt the same. Multiple family members described how they felt after the hurricane as their hearts being ripped out of their chests when they stepped out of their houses and saw the mass destruction.
    For the people of Puerto Rico it was absolutely surreal to experience such a disaster, and the disaster continued when the minimum was done by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help fix what was damaged. Doing simple tasks like going to the grocery store to get food and water, going to the bank, or getting gas was difficult for the people because there wasn’t enough money or supplies for everyone. The people were forced to wait in lines that would last up to three hours in order to purchase canned food and water. After waiting so long in the heat, by the time they were able to enter a store there was nothing left. When I visited in April, most people still didn’t have fresh water or electricity. Seven months had passed and the people still did not have basic day-to-day resources.
    After time has passed and the island got the chance to heal, everything started to get back to normal. Going again in November made me feel like I was at home again. The vibrant colors and vegetation had re-established themselves and the Puerto Rico I remember was back.

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Summer Travel Photos

Ms. Wetmore at Disneyland.

Mr. Nelken's daughter, Margaret, in Laguna Beach, CA.

Ms. Englart's trip to the Yale Outdoor Education Center.

Ana Lujan's Trip to Puerto Rico