When a major tragedy strikes a wide population, there’s an urgency to return to normal as soon as possible. However ‘normal’ has a new look to it post-Maria.
I personally wanted to wrap myself in a cozy hammock until life returned to normal for me, but after so many weeks away from home I was eager to return to whatever new ‘normal’ awaited me.
All stores are open now. At least in Mayaguez. I have not ventured into the mountainous towns.
There are broken electrical poles and lines all over the place. Many transformers line the road and now swerving to avoid them is part of the new norm.
People have kindly marked the low hanging wires with bright cloth.
The potholes have grown exponentially
Hwy 2, the main road looks fairly pre-hurricane except for shredded billboards and bent store signs. There’s at least one stoplight not working but it actually makes traffic flow smoother haha
A beloved landmark of Mayaguez lost its top. The Caribbean “Olympic” games were held here in 2000 and a giant torch was erected. Now it just looks like a silo. And that dumb silver arch completely crumbled too.
Commerce needs to continue. No electricity hasn’t stopped my kids’ school from opening. They had to invest in a gas stove to make hot lunch and a generator for fans and lights. My daughters gymnastics class was held in the dark. They moved the class to an earlier time to make the most of sunlight.
I know of at least four families that still don’t have power. Three of them don’t have generators. It’s been over 70 days since the huracán!! They too have invested in gas stoves, and are forced to mooch off their friends washing machines and spend as little time at home as possible. I’m trying to be of assistance where I can.
I’ve seen the Puerto Rican water authorities and power companies out making repairs. One cherry picker blocked the entire road on my school route. I had to reverse and take another route, making me 10 minutes late. But that’s not the sort of delay you complain about.
one more observation: Home Depot has an abundance of store displays dedicated to selling cisterns, generators and roof repairs. Haha
Thank you the update! Have you got power and water yet?
Yes! We stayed in Wisconsin until our neighborhood had power and internet since my hubby works online 🙂
That is great! Yes, you definitely would need internet.