It’s been just over one month since Category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico leaving its citizens without power, water, and supplies.
While the news cycle is constantly changing, Puerto Rico still needs help. At The Catholic University of America (CUA), many students who call Puerto Rico home have taken action to spread awareness through sharing their stories and fundraising on behalf of the island. There is a GoFundMe Page, listed at the end of this article, started by college students to raise money for relief efforts. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel has even donated to the cause. The proceeds from this weekend’s Homecoming Charity Ball at CUA will be donated to Puerto Rico. Three CUA freshmen shared their perspectives on how the U.S. government and the media are taking action, or inaction, on relief efforts.
Monica Torres, freshman biology major from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the first person in her family to study outside of the island.
“Everything I know is there,” said Torres describing her family who lives on the island. “They have a generator, they pay weekly for diesel, they don’t have any water. But they also have cisterns that bring them water but they have to pay for it every week. Despite everything, compared to other families, they are quite blessed.”
President Trump arrived in Puerto Rico on October 3rd. He visited the metropolitan area of San Juan where most of the power had already been restored, according to Torres.
“Puerto Rico doesn’t appear in the news anymore,” Torres said. There must be a lot more attention because we are also American citizens. I think that if this were to happen in the states, it would be completely different than how it’s happening now in Puerto Rico. It looks like the President doesn’t care because we are just an island, a colony, and not a state.”
Torres purchased tickets to fly to Puerto Rico on November 21st for Thanksgiving break one week before Hurricane Maria struck the island. The devastation has changed her home but she’s happy to go and see her family, friends, and boyfriend.
Kenny I. Montero is a freshman electrical engineering major from Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Jayuya is located in center of the mountainous region of Puerto Rico; a location that faced significant destruction and isolation from the hurricane. He’s the first person from his school to attend college on the mainland.
“My house withstood the hurricane, but a landslide hit the back. My laundry machines were damaged. And the power plant is damaged too, so they can’t get any energy. But I have talked to my parents, everything’s ok everyone’s doing fine. The environment is just chaos, and everything’s destroyed.”
People were retrieving lost belongings after the hurricane hit. They would risk going back in neck high water, according to Montero.
One company, a monopoly, controls Puerto Rico’s electricity. Montero said they have a song about it. He didn’t hesitate to sing it either and gestured to the shirt he was wearing from his hometown.
“What the song says, is I have a light that shines on me. And the air blew and it just went out,” said Montero smiling. “In Puerto Rico the electricity is not the best. In my town when we have a strong wind, we say oh my god the lights are going out. Sometimes they do sometimes they don’t. I say charge everything people! It’s going down. We need a better grid on our island.”
In between the singing and laughter, Montero had a serious message about the state of Puerto Rico.
“I want to tell the people that we Puerto Ricans are happy people. We dance, we sing, we do everything with a smile on our faces,” Montero said. “We are just a little star that shines in the whole universe, we are just a little star but our shine is way brighter than a lot of things and that’s what makes us great. A small island can have a huge impact on the world.”
Montero shared this music video, Isla Bendita meaning blessed island, to best describe the morale of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria: https://www.facebook.com/elnuevodia/videos/10155357102468751/
Isabelle Canals is a freshman psychological and brain sciences major, on a pre-med track, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Canals always wanted to attend a university on the maindland but ultimately decided to leave the island after the University of Puerto Rico went on strike. For Canals, who loves the family style of CUA and urban location, leaving was her best option.
She took action to help Puerto Rico with upperclassmen at CUA to fundraise on behalf of the relief efforts. Her family is doing ok, but she struggled to maintain contact with her grandparents on the other side of the island.
“This was a Category 4 hurricane. We are American citizens on the island,” Canals said. “Yes, maybe our infrastructure was not the best when it comes to like water or electricity, or maybe we have a debt, but we still qualify for aid and help. ”
Canals too, was disappointed with President Trump’s visit to the island. She said he did not seem to be taking it seriously, as he had for U.S. states affected by major storms earlier this year.
“Trump tweeted about removing all help from the island and my heart just sank,” Canals said. “How? How could you be thinking about doing that instead of sending more people, more doctors, engineers, nurses, and first responders? The island is still a mess.”
Many have suggested that President Trump does not care about Puerto Rico because it doesn’t affect his polls.
“Since we don’t have any voting rights, or voice in Congress, we don’t affect Trump’s polls in any sort of way,” she said. “Since we are so far out, many Americans don’t know we are Americans, they don’t even know where Puerto Rico is.”
Many citizens of Puerto Rico have been left without food, water, and necessary supplies.
“When it comes to helping another human being, I don’t think that where they live, their nationality, or their citizenship, even though we are American citizens, should come into play because a human life has no cost. There shouldn’t be a price onto whether we save them or not.”
Many associate the hit song Despacito by Luis Fonsi with Puerto Rico. The song rose to the top of the music charts in early 2017 and by August of 2017 it had become the most viewed video on YouTube. It is also the most streamed song ever. Isabelle has a final message to those who want to help Puerto Rico.
“It would be good to educate more people about us about our situation so much more than Despacito. And if they want to see it that way, fine. Then show them the pictures of how the Despacito scene looks right now. Because it was shot outdoors. Of how those houses look and how La Perla is, because that’s an actual place which isn’t in very good condition.”
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Thank you to CUA Students for Puerto Rico for your help, and those who were willing to share their stories and perspectives. Please consider donating to this worthy cause by donating or sharing this link: https://www.gofundme.com/studentswithpr