On Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, turning families’ life upside down. Then, a woman told what living after came the New York.
“At the time, my two daughters and I were living in Carolina, a town on the northeastern side of the island. In just a day, my clothes were turned to rags, my home was destroyed, and I lost the few belongings I had.”
“My mother lived in the same town but her house was still standing. For two months, we slept on a couch in her living room. But we couldn’t stay there forever. In December, the Federal Emergency Management Agency moved us to New York City. Since then, we’ve been staying in hotels provided by FEMA in the Bronx and Brooklyn, like hundreds of other families who were moved to New York after the storm.”
“But this experience can hardly be called “living.” We’re barely surviving. Congress and the Trump administration have failed to truly address the crisis, leaving survivors stranded months after the storm.”
“When we arrived in New York, we were placed in a hotel in the Bronx. There, we had no kitchen and thus couldn’t cook. We didn’t have enough money to eat out, so I fed my children microwaved meals for nearly three months.”
“That’s why I joined the hundreds of families like mine who marched on Washington on Tuesday, the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Maria. I raised my voice to demand that FEMA and Congress fulfill their responsibility to protect and support all Americans.
“If we don’t go out into the streets and make our voices heard, no one will know that the crisis is far from over. The disaster after the disaster continues. My children and I live it every day.”
FEMA approved a voucher they could use to find housing elsewhere. But $553 per month is not enough to pay for a room in New York City.
Source: NYtimes
