Damage – 

This past week, many islands in the Caribbean have been hit by Hurricane Fiona. Hurricane Fiona reached wind speeds of around 115 mph, and was ranked as a 5 on the damage scale, (5 being the worst) leaving millions without power and water for days. It has been estimated to have caused about 10.9 billion dollars in damage, and unfortunately has caused an estimated 34 deaths. 

The governor of Puerto Rico, Pierluisi, has been reaching out the foreign leaders for help with this devastating situation. To make matters worse, many islands have barely recovered from hurricane Maria that occurred a few years ago. Fiona has so far managed to hit Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, some of the Bahamas, as well as Turks and Caicos. According to governor Pierluisi, most citizens have no running water or electricity as of the moment, and certain groups that live up in the mountains have been entirely removed from communications due to intense mudslides. Another main issue is evacuation, many people are having issues getting anywhere due to most gas stations being emptied out by the crowds. 

Recently, the hurricane ended up hitting the coast of Canada by just a bit. Although, hurricane Ian also just hit Florida this week. September has seemed to be quite eventful in the natural disaster department, and we can only hope that October brings some recovery.

Recovery –

Even though Hurricane Fiona has affected many people, people are on a strike to recover. There are many ways that people are in the recovery process, some ways include asking for help. Governor Pierluisi held a press conference on September 22, 2022 and there, he asked President Joe Biden for a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico. Many of the FEMA and government officials are now working hand in hand with the goal of helping Puerto Rico. 

As FEMA and other federal partners continue to support the people impacted by the hurricane and respond to the needs of the survivors while starting the longer-term recovery effort, many people strive to take action by helping. In Puerto Rico, a 17-year-old girl named Jaylianne Ramos was safe from the storm, but sadly her highschool was not as lucky. Jaylianne Ramos’ school was wrecked and she could not finish her Senior year at that highschool. And so Jaylianne Ramos’ aunt and uncle live in Florida and they had an idea. They talked to St. John Paul II Academy to see if she could finish high school there.The school was very welcoming for her as the school had just raised $10,000 to help people in Puerto Rico. Not only was the school helping her be welcomed but the student on the volleyball team too as they helped her fit in. Jaylianne Ramos says that “It was hard for me to leave my school,” she said. “But I have been very welcomed here.” Although the hurricane has impacted many people, they are striving for a recovery and have reached out for help, which is proving to be beneficial. 

Cites:

https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20220925/fema-helps-jumpstart-survivor-recovery-puerto-rico-one-week-after-fiona

https://newsela.com/read/hurricane-fiona-puerto-rico/id/2001032498/# 

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/23/powerful-hurricane-fiona-roaring-by-bermuda-then-to-canada.html