4/20/2023 0 Comments Earthdesk pace![]() But we will do the impossible and have a Puerto Rico that is even better.” Obviously, many back home are desperate now and they have reason to be. “We are literally a hopeful and happy people. Sarah says resiliencia is integral to Puerto Rican culture and her upbringing, the reason the island and its people will survive and thrive. Sarah’s family home escaped extreme damage because it is sturdily built with concrete, but family members sleep outside now because summer heat and humidity combined with lack of power make indoor living oppressive. Nearby, a friend’s grandfather lost his house. They can’t even eat ham and cheese sandwiches because there is no place to store ham or cheese - ice is necessary. They never know when the money is going to run out. Food has been dear, and neighbors take turns preparing meals for each other. Lines were long and she had to make her money last. In the aftermath, Sarah’s mother, named Sarah as well, could only withdraw $100 at a time from the local bank teller or the ATM, if it were operational. Keeping up with the purchase of everyday necessities has been a challenge. FEMA has come under intense criticism for being slow to respond. Like the rest of the island, the local supply chain has been crippled by lack of fuel, damaged highways and logistical confusion. Shortages and ruined services have made living conditions dire. Caguas, in the central eastern part of Puerto Rico, endured more than three feet of rain. Maria began hammering the island on September 20 with 155 mph wind gusts followed by relentless rains, leaving 78 known dead and damages steadily climbing toward $100 billion. “When I learned what it meant, I understood. She was unfamiliar with the word when she found the ring a year and a half ago in a display of homemade jewelry back home in the city of Caguas. “Resiliencia” is hand-engraved into the silver ring that every day adorns the left hand of the international management major at the university’s Lubin School of Business. On my birthday, the day before Maria landed, I received none of my usual family calls.” They were anxiety-filled days. “Sometimes I’d see I had a missed call and I would start crying. She abruptly left her Pace University classes without warning to talk to her mother. She had learned the hard way that even a moment’s hesitation might disconnect her from home, thanks to Puerto Rico’s now frail cellular system. In the days leading up to and after Hurricane Maria, Sarah Gabriella Pereira lived by her cell phone. ![]()
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