Unemployed after Hurricane María

Summary

Hurricane María devastated the island of Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017. The entire island is still without electric power. It was declared a state of emergency. The living conditions in Puerto Rico are very difficult right now. Like thousands of others, I lost my job due to the hurricane. The company’s office was destroyed and my personal laptop was damaged in the storm. Unemployed, I only have enough money for food and rent for the next month. I’m afraid I will lose my apartment. It is nearly impossible to find employment in the island, businesses are damaged and there is no power. Only those with generators are still somewhat operational. Many are unemployed or suspended. 

I am asking for your kindness to help me with whatever you can give. I set the goal to $1000 to try and cover airfare so I can leave Puerto Rico and live with my sister in Massachusetts where I will look for a job. The money raised will also go towards purchasing a new laptop, which would help me find sources of income (I worked as a web developer, graphic designer, doing online marketing, and blogging).

(Damage to my previous work office and computer)

Puerto Rico was declared a state of emergency after Hurricane María

On September 2017, Hurricane Irma made its way across the Caribbean. In its path, it ravaged neighboring islands as well as flying near the north side of Puerto Rico. Two weeks later, on September 20th, while the island was still recovering from hurricane Irma and several communities still hadn’t regained electrical power, category 4 (5) Hurricane María swept over Puerto Rico. This time the whole island was terribly affected. The eye of the storm went straight through the middle of the island and all of us suffered the terrible effects of the storm.
 (Line for ATM. Everything is cash-only now as there is no power and only select places are running on generators) Source Getty Images .


Everyone in the island has suffered damage to property, life, and/or health. The death toll is still rising. People can’t get proper care at hospitals because there is no power. Critical operations run on power generators. Hospitals are running out of diesel for their generators. The lines at gas stations and ATMs are hours long. Traffic is heavy. Roads and streets are still blocked with debris. There are still entire cities and municipalities without communication. Supermarkets are low on food, shelves are empty. The aid being sent to Puerto Rico isn’t being distributed efficiently. Sanitation is deteriorating. There is uncollected trash, plugged sewers, backed up water. The air smells like trash and sewage. The stagnant water is giving way to mosquitoes and bugs and could provoke an outbreak of diseases.


(Common structural damage: Billboards fallen on top of buildings. Structures without roofs. Floods.) 
 

Unemployed After Hurricane María

I got my bachelor’s degree in Business (Marketing) last year. After graduating, I took an internship and was then offered a part-time position in a marketing agency. I was also doing freelance work as a web designer and blogger. I moved into a 1-bedroom apartment back in June. Just before the Hurricane, I had an offer set up for a full-time position with a new company. I was starting to build a life for myself in Puerto Rico and getting closer to economic stability so I could pay off my student loan.

Hurricane María destroyed the agency’s office. The company, like many other business and industries, was affected. I was left unemployed. My personal computer was water damaged because of the hurricane. Since I make my money online (through web development, online marketing, graphic design, and blogging) having no access to power or Internet leaves me without any possibilities for income. I will receive my last paycheck this Friday, October 6th. After that, I will only have enough money to pay expenses (food & rent) for another month. I’m afraid I will have to lose my apartment.

I would take any job, but there are thousands of others like me—unemployed after the Hurricane. Puerto Rico’s economy is at a standstill. Businesses have structural damage or no power to operate. I will have to leave my family and friends behind and go live with my sister in Massachusetts in the United States. I will leave with whatever money I have left on me at that point and look for a job there.


What I Need

I am asking for $500 to cover for my airfare from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts where my sister lives. (As of today, the cheapest one-way ticket fluctuates from $100 to $130.) The rest of the money would go towards purchasing a new laptop (mine was damaged during the hurricane), which would help me earn money as a web developer, graphic designer, blogger, etc. If there were any money left over, I would use it to bring my kitty with me (she was just rescued on June 30th). The cost of pet air travel is usually around $100. 

This is her :)
 

The Damage To Puerto Rico

Immediately after the storm, the entire island was left without electrical power and communication: all 3.4 million of its inhabitants. Some were also left without water. The island’s infrastructure was severely damaged—collapsed bridges, entire roofs blown off, broken windows, huge billboards that fell on top of houses, broken windows, collapsed houses and buildings, entire neighborhoods flooded. There are people who lost their entire homes, mostly those in flood zones and in rural areas where there are many houses made entirely out of wood. Some lost their lives and the death toll is still rising. The entire country was left in the dark, in all sense of the word. Electrical and phone towers collapsed. You could not get in touch with your loved ones.
 
Here are the numbers published on September 30th: (Source USA Today )

• Access to drinking water: 45%
• Death toll: 16 (rising)
• Gasoline stations open: 721 of 1,100
• Electric customers with power: 5%
• Supermarkets open: 295 of 456
• Pharmacies open: 337
• Municipalities visited and provided with emergency supplies: 78 (all of them)
• Staging areas across the island for food, water and other supplies: 11
• Shelters open: 139
• Hospitals open: 51 of 69
• Hospitals connected to the electric grid: 9
• Functioning cell towers: 14%
• Open ports: 75%
• Roads: 50% of major roadways cleared 
• U.S. response team: 12,600 people on the island


(Empty shelves at supermarket)

Thank you so much for your time! I would be forever grateful if you could help me or any person in Puerto Rico in any way you can.
Sincerely,
Coralys 

See more images from Puerto Rico after Hurricane María here . 
Photograph: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images