Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico's southeast coast on September 20, 2017, with sustained winds of 155 mph — its strongest hurricane in nearly 90 years. The storm knocked out the island's power grid, shut down virtually all cellular communication, and destroyed nearly all traffic lights, leaving residents without sustainable access to food, water, electricity, or medical care for months. The human toll has been estimated at 2,975 deaths, and total damages at $115.2 billion.

Maria wasn't what we thought it would be

Janice was in Humacao, Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit. She was trapped there with no way to communicate or reach her family or anyone else in her home town of Yabuccoa, normally a 15-minute drive away. After finding her way back two days later, she reunited first with her grandparents, with a mixture of emotions, from great relief to overwhelming sadness at what had become of her town.
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