The force of the blow raked her littoral burghal like an diminutive bomb — but what’s happened in Puerto Rico in the six weeks aback again larboard Marisabel Carde-Sanchez analytic for words.
“It's absolutely adamantine to explain,” she begins.
First, bodies absent their homes. Again they absent electricity and apple-pie water. Now they're accident their patience.
“The bodies are crazy,” she says over the phone. “The bodies are activity into houses, demography everything. They are angry for the aliment and for the gas. They are angry for everything.”
The 25-year-old distinct mother of two adolescent accouchement — a 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old babe — absent her job at a Dorado Beach resort that was bankrupt because of Blow Maria. She feared for her family’s safety, so she alone her home and confused in with a cousin.
She spends hours continuing in the street, cat-and-mouse for her about-face to buy aliment or gas.
She doesn't see it accepting bigger soon.
“It's really, absolutely adamantine to animate in a abode that is all destroyed,” she says. “I can't pay annihilation because I don't accept work.”
So she alleged her ancestor in Lincoln, 2,400 afar away.
“I acquaint him, 'I charge to go, I charge to go.'”
The six canicule of blackout were acute for Jose Carde-Bernal.
He had been talking to his babe afore the hurricane, animating her; they'd alike installed walkie-talkie apps on their phones to accomplish it easier. Again the storm hit, and there was nothing.
“We were affectionate of panicking,” he said. “For the aboriginal six days, I was a mess. I had no abstraction if my grandchildren and my babe were alive.”
He and his wife prayed and hoped, he said. He abounding his daughter's buzz with voicemails and argument messages.
Finally, they heard from Marisabel: She and her accouchement were safe.
“You can brainstorm how we acquainted aback we got the news.”
But he acquainted article abroad aback he saw what was accident in Puerto Rico. He considers himself a appreciative American; he larboard Puerto Rico about 40 year ago with his mother, aback he was aloof a boy. He served in the U.S. Army aback he was a adolescent man.
He's lived in South Chicago Heights and Nashville and Columbus. He works as an adjudicator for Lancaster Canton now.
But he'll additionally be a appreciative Puerto Rican until the day he dies, he said. And what he's audition from his island is heartbreaking.
The abridgement of electricity and water, the continued curve for gas and food, the crime, the anarchy added than 40 canicule afterwards the skies cleared.
“We're talking American citizens that are actuality advised like cheap citizens,” he said. “It's horrible. I apperceive it's abhorrent what's activity on there.”
He offered his babe money for aliment and supplies. She asked for even tickets instead; she had to get her accouchement out of there. At first, she anticipation about affective to San Antonio, area it was warm, and area she had friends.
But three weeks ago, she asked if she could move to Nebraska, area she had ancestors — her ancestor and his family, her aunt, her cousins. It was additionally familiar; she'd lived briefly in Columbus years ago.
Carde-Bernal couldn't say yes immediately. He lives in a three-bedroom home in the Highlands with his wife and their two children. This could put accent on his marriage, and on his family. He had to allocution to his wife, Lori Carde.
“And she was actual accessible and acceptant to the abstraction of allowance addition who has gone through so much.”
By the time he got aback to his daughter, about two hours later, the amount of the even tickets had added $100 apiece, he says. So abounding bodies were aggravating to get out of Puerto Rico.
She's not actuality yet — she couldn't get tickets to fly out until Wednesday — but Lincoln is already giving.
“They’re advancing with the clothes on their backs,” her ancestor said. “They don’t accept anything.”
Jose Carde-Bernal's sister-in-law and her bedmate offered a car. His wife's co-workers at the Department of Health and Human Services donated furniture.
His colleagues at the assessor's appointment pitched in with accouterment and domiciliary items to advice his babe alpha over. He told them not to accord money.
“He’s a acceptable guy,” said Rob Ogden, arch agent canton assessor. “And we accept a acceptable team. They all affliction about anniversary other. We appetite to abutment his family.”
The North American Martyrs Catholic School, area Jose and Lori's two sons attend, opened its doors to the newcomers. The school's families aggregate accouterment and allowance cards, and administrators are ambrosial to parents to advice pay charge for Marisabel's two children.
The academy is accessible to acceptable the ancestors to northwest Lincoln. “We're absolutely excited. We're accomplishing a agglomeration for the ancestors here,” said Sister Janelle Buettner, the school's principal. “We're alive on accepting it funded.”
Jose Carde-Bernal is abashed by what's accident in his homeland, but he's beholden for what's accident in his hometown.
The access has been overwhelming.
“The association has been amazing. It warms my affection that I animate in a burghal that, after any questions, will footfall up and advice their neighbor.”
