No stove, unless you’re burning the remains of your house. No microwave. No way to charge your phone, and no phone lines. The phone company has no power. So little or no communication with any relatives, friends, or anyone that might be able to assist you.
No TV, so you don’t really know when and if someone will ever come to help. The batteries for your radio aren’t much use because the radio stations you listen to are down. No music. No news. No movies, no entertainment. No power.
For months.
That is the situation facing Puerto Rico right now:
Hurricane Maria, the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. territory in almost a century, ravaged the island, demolishing homes and knocking out all electricity. It could take half a year to restore power to the nearly 3.5 million people who live there.
You have an infant? You have to heat up his/her formula on a wood-burning stove, if you have one, which you probably don’t. Matches and lighters are a premium. What will you do for medical care if he/she gets sick? There’s no hospital to go to nearby with any power. Even the ones that have generators are full. And how are you going to call them? You have a child a little older? What are you going to feed them? Where are you going to get the water to mix the formula or cook their food? There is none:
In the wake of Hurricane Maria, all of Puerto Rico’s nearly 3.5 million people have no electricity. Most have no landline or cell phone service. And since much of the island's water and sewer system depends on electric-powered pumps, most people had no running water. Entire towns were still incommunicado days after the storm.
No running water means no showers. No baths. And no toilets. No indoor plumbing at all.
And no gas. Can’t sell gas to you without electricity to power the pumps and tell you how much you’re buying. Even if you could, a lot of the streets are impassable.
“This morning I wasn’t able to get across several major highways here since there’s flooding everywhere and fallen trees," he said by phone Thursday evening.
No lights. When it gets dark, it’s candles or a fire.
No food that can’t be twisted out of a can or jar and reheated on a fire. No stores to buy anything hot or cold. No ice. No refrigerator. No freezer. No meat, poultry, fish or anything that needs to be kept cold.
People walking around in the street looking for somewhere to sleep because their houses are gone.
“It is that bad," she said. "I mean, there is devastation. People with wooden houses are no longer there. And all of the forests and palm trees — they're not there. It's bare soil. It is devastating, and I hope we can recover soon."
***
"The dog was looking for food. I saw her find raw bacon in the street and eat it," she said. Spooner told CNN she saw kittens and cats near a house nearby that appeared to have cat food, but the felines looked skinny and scared.
Neighbors were trying to take care of the animals, she said.
***
I spoke to one resident, Juan Romero as he surveyed what's left of his house: a tangled pile of wooden beams, rubble and twisted metal. "All I own is the clothes I'm wearing," he told me. Nevertheless he was just thankful to have survived.
His neighbour then called me over to see her kitchen, its roof ripped clean off. Evlyn had also lost much, all her possessions are soaked and need replacing. However, it was concern for her aged mother that moved her to tears. At 101 years old she is too frail to be made to live elsewhere at this stage in life.
How you can help:
You can help by donating to charities in Puerto Rico that are leading the effort to mitigate the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Here are some proven organizations with direct access to the victims of these hurricanes. You can visit their online donations or send a check to the enclosed address.
Fondos Unidos de Puerto Rico
P.O. Box 191914
San Juan, PR 00919
tel: (787) 728-8500
fax: (787) 728-7099
http://www.fondosunidos.org/
Caritas Puerto Rico
201 Calle San Jorge
Esquina Baldorioty de Castro
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00902
P.O. Box 8812, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910-0812
tel: 787 300-4953
http://www.caritas.org/where-caritas-work/latin-america/puerto-rico/
Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico
1719 Ave. Ponce de León
San Juan, PR 00909-1905
tel: 787-721-1037
https://www.fcpr.org/
Hurricane Maria Children's Relief Fund
Save the Children
501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400,
Fairfield, CT 06825
https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9535647/k.A2B9/Hurricane_Maria_Childrens_Relief_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp
Maria & Irma: Puerto Rico Real-time Recovery Fund
ConPRmetidos
1511 Ave. Ponce de León Suite K, La Ciudadela
San Juan P.R. 00909
tel: 787-773-1100
https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/maria-irma-puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund