Hurricane Maria left countless caribbean islands in shambles as it traveled the Pacific Ocean, with one of its main targets being Puerto Rico, a United States territory.
Maria, one of the strongest hurricanes on record, left the small island destroyed, entire communities under water, trees uprooted, houses torn apart, and all forms of communication down. Debris was found in every turn, some blocking roads and secluding residents.
Jennifer Gonzalez, chair of the Puerto Rican Republican Party, told CNN, “It was devastating to see all that kind of debris in all areas, in all towns of the island.”
Gov. Ricardo Rossello met with fifty of the island’s mayors and representatives on Saturday; some of which even described the aftermath as “apocalyptic.” To make matters worse, a dam is on the bridge of collapsing.
Culminamos el vuelo sobre el sureste de Puerto Rico. Algunas imágenes del impacto de #Maria en la infraestructura. pic.twitter.com/fWuQtS2qeg
— Ricardo Rosselló (@ricardorossello) September 24, 2017
Some homes were left flooded, without roofs, or completely destroyed. Families moved in with families to not have to sleep in a flooded home at night.
Patricia Mazzei, political writer for the Miami Herald, told the story of Maria Iris Rivera – who’s home was destroyed by Maria – in an article for the Miami Herald, “The wind took her roof and left her little abode in shambles, perhaps none of it salvageable. Her niece, Maria Navarro, whose second story was dry, took Rivera in – along with at least five other relatives, seven cats, four dogs, two parrots, and two cockatiels.”
The entire island was left without power with only pockets of cell signal in a few areas. People would stop their cars at the side of the road near cell towers, the only places with signal for miles. In consequence, authorities had to physically warn people of the dam near the Guajataca River that there is a potential dam collapse.
With the power off, hospitals have no way of helping their patients, looking for alternate power sources to help the injured. Puerto Rican officials requested medical assistance from the USNS Comfort hospital ship.
According to the US Navy, the USNS Comfort is “capable of providing resuscitation and stabilization care; initial wound and basic surgery; and postoperative treatment.”
This will then provide help for lots of those who are in the hospital and are injured. The ship is on the way, but it might not be able to deploy for another week. The US Air Force is also sending aircraft to increase daily relief missions.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford told CNN, “The responsibility is primarily DHS, but at this point we’re not trapped in bureaucratic niceties, what we’re trying to do is make sure that we get the people of Puerto Rico the support they need when they need it.”
To help with damage and to help cope with survival, Pres. Donald Trump confirmed increased federal funding for debris removal and will plan to visit the island next Tuesday.
