BORINQUEN | CLIMATE CHANGE | FILM

Eight Years After Hurricane María & A Look Back at Other Environmental Nightmares

Because we only have one Mother Earth

Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines)

Lo que vivimos cuando María fue algo bien, pero bien fuerte. Te estoy hablando de que aquí no quedaba nada, los árboles volaron entre las ventanas, todo era color marrón. Estuvimos más de 100 días sin luz , muchos murieron (se ahogaron) por no poder salir de sus casas — fue lo peor que hemos vivido.
~ An Elder from Loíza, sharing her traumatic memories

Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Offices of BNP Paribas, Jersey City, New Jersey

Nilsa’s WhatsApp video of Hurricane María’s howling winds terrorizing the countryside of Trujillo Alto brought tears to my eyes.

At work that morning, I was headed to grab my café au lait and almond croissant when I noticed her message on my cellphone. Paralyzed in the corridor leading to the food court entrance, I watched the horror unfold.

It was one of the most helpless feelings of my life.

My cousin had briefly filmed the beginnings of what the Category 4 storm would leave in its wake — the 155mph winds brought death, destruction and despair to my people.