Wants
community to be aware of ongoing problems, ways to help
 |
| Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico with massive flooding, destroyed roads, buildings and landscapes. |
University of Rhode Island alumnus Francisco San Miguel and his
family survived the Category 4 storm, which drenched parts of Puerto Rico
with 30 inches of rain and shredded the landscape with 155-mile-an-hour winds.
More than a month later, with a third of the population lacking running water, close to three million
people without electricity and thousands of others
without shelter, San Miguel reached out to URI to raise awareness.
By sharing his account of the disaster, which claimed 51 lives, San Miguel hopes his old URI friends
— who knew him as rock-and-roll drummer “Paco” when he was a graduate student
at the College
of Business Administration from 1988-1990 — will be moved to
aid the recovery of his native island. Excerpts from accounts San Miguel
previously published and more recent impressions offered in
emails, are excerpted here.
“The desperation and misery among our United States citizens in
Puerto Rico is tragic. People on every square inch of this island have either
lost their homes entirely or have had them damaged. There are so many stories …
so many tears, so much hurt. It has tattooed my soul.”
His son Sebastian also lost his job and has relocated to Florida for work before attending graduate school in physical therapy. Daughter Isabella, a college student, is in Portugal for a semester abroad, he said.
San Miguel, an environmentalist with a love for the outdoors and
animals, wrote of the storm’s heartbreaking destruction of flora and fauna,
which news reports sometimes overlook.
“Our beautiful Puerto Rican landscape of September 19, with its
dazzling array of green shades highlighted by glorious colors of tropical
flowers, was transformed to waves of brown on September 20.
“Prior to Maria, Puerto Rico was an island that, sadly, was
accustomed to witnessing thousands of stray dogs roaming the streets…Today, not
a stray animal is to be found. Their stark absence is a chilling, daily
reminder of the death and destruction afflicted upon animal life on the island.
The forgotten dogs do touch deep in my heart. It is tough to imagine how the
stray dogs died during the hurricane winds and floods, and what they suffered.”
And as owner of the pest control company Termite Master Caribe,
San Miguel worries that mosquito-borne diseases will proliferate as flooding
and water stored for daily use create ideal breeding conditions.
“Mosquitoes are on the rise … I foresee a need for mosquito
repellent and mosquito nets. Puerto Rico just went through extremely harsh Zika
and Chikungunya virus nightmares. Four strains of dengue have always been
present, and the situation will be aggravated this season with doctors’ offices
destroyed or lacking power and many hospitals struggling to reopen and serve
their communities.”
But in the midst of loss and hardship, San Miguel shared a
positive message, too.
“Manmade technology was no match for the forces of nature. In
some ways … this experience is a blessing in disguise. No longer able to use
their smartphones, faces that previously would be looking down are looking up,
sharing stories, finding ways to make one another smile and laugh and make the
best out of a collective tragedy. There is no digital substitute for a friendly
face, an outreached hand, a warm embrace, or a shared tear. Certainly, this has
been a reality check — I was prisoner of that thing, that cell phone.”
San Miguel said the importance of personal contact hit home when
he visited clients soon after the hurricane, not to conduct business, but to
help them recover and rebuild.
“Our clients were astonishingly appreciative of seeing us and
thankful like never before. Now we repeat that our service is 50 percent
personal relations, 50 percent pest control. That I learned at URI.”
For those who want to help, the URI Center for Nonviolence and
Peace Studies will present Peace for Puerto Rico Nov. 16 to benefit relief
efforts. The event includes an open mic coffeehouse and ping pong tournament.
And with so many charities involved in disaster relief, San
Miguel suggested organizations for anyone able to give. However, individuals
should do their own vetting before donating to any charity:
Americares: secure.americares.org
For animal lovers: https://www.facebook.com/adlapr/
For environmentalists: paralanaturaleza.org