Maria and Michael

Hurricane Maria destroyed my house in Puerto Rico in 2017. It was made of cinder block but it flooded and quickly became covered in mold.

Hurricane Maria was the worst natural disaster to hit Puerto Rico. The houses in Puerto Rico aren’t built well. People weren’t doing anything to help each other. It was a mess.

I filed a claim with FEMA. I was waiting on the settlement when my daughter invited me to live with her in Panama City.

I was in Panama City for a year when Hurricane Michael hit. My daughter, her wife and their daughter and I rode out the storm in a closet. I was scared. I prayed for my life. My daughter kept saying I needed to be strong for my granddaughter. I just kept praying.

Their house was destroyed. They are waiting on it to be rebuilt. I moved back to Puerto Rico until my daughter’s house is fixed. Maybe six months or so.

Both Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Michael were horrible. In Puerto Rico we get hurricanes all the time. I have never seen any as bad as Maria and Michael. I can tell you about it but you need to see the destruction to really understand the extent of the damage.”