Six months ago, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. Sadly, despite humanitarian efforts by people like Chef Jose Andres, stars visiting the island to help relief efforts, and even Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Almost Like Praying” (a song for Puerto Rico hurricane relief), the island is still not doing well. PR has seen an increase in suicides since the hurricane… which probably comes as no surprise to anyone who is still struggling to help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
Yet on the six month anniversary of the disaster (and the subsequent terrible response by the U.S. government to help its own people), Lin-Manuel Miranda is once again stepping up to do something. In a tweet on Tuesday, the Hamilton creator decided to spend the day amplifying the voices of those who lived through the hurricane in an effort to bring attention to the suffering that still remains and the help that the U.S. territory still needs. Here are some of the most poignant, heartbreaking, and somewhat hopeful tweets he shared.
Gmorning.
6 months ago, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.
🇵🇷, Where were you?
Where are you, today?
Amplifying your stories all day.Buenos Dias,
Hace 6 meses Maria azotó a Puerto Rico.
🇵🇷, donde tú estabas?
Donde estás hoy?
Hoy, amplificaré tu historia. pic.twitter.com/FqQNXSyi87— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 20, 2018
And now, for some of those moving stories…
https://twitter.com/angrytaina/status/976083771043827715
Losing your home is, unfortunately, very common in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
I was in Guaynabo, nothing mayor heppened to my house but I want to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I’ve been visiting a community in Yabucoa since november. They lost everything, are still without power, and NO ONE has helped them. Government has done NOTHING!!
— eva (@evai06) March 20, 2018
Yet another reminder of how the U.S. government has failed its people.
I was here in Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷Hearing how the wind wanted to furiously rip the windows of my house and the water get inside. The next few days were just people being grateful for what they have and lending a helpful hand to each others.
— Huffleslut 💛🖤 (@this_is_nesii) March 20, 2018
Despite it all, it’s important to be grateful for the lives we still have.
https://twitter.com/idcgabriela/status/976089369411977216
Six months later, and some remain without basic necessities.
I was in Bayamón; my house with my family. We felt the house shaking as if the winds wanted to take the base of the house with it. The sound of my terrace falling is a sound that will never ever leave my ears. We’re in Florida right now, but I badly want to go home con los míos.
— amanda castro. (@amandamcastrom) March 20, 2018
Many still can’t go home…
My cousin was diabetic. He ran out of safe insulin. His testing strips didn't work in the heat. He fell into a diabetic coma shortly after Thanksgiving and passed away. He'd lost his ID during the hurricane, so authorities didn't know who he was until almost Christmas.
— 🎃🕸🕷 ScarFright Witch GOT MARRIED (@starlightgeek) March 20, 2018
Stories like this are simply heartbreaking.
I was hearing the family next door practically screaming for their https://t.co/3vYOPjevK6 family lost our things along with my cats.We had no other option but to move to New York(where im now studying and trying to find a job).But i am the happiest ive ever been😊🇵🇷
— sapphic🕊🤍 (@goregeousxo) March 20, 2018
Stories of hope matter, too.
I was in New York, refreshing the news. By the grace of God, my mother had sent for my grandparents a few days before, not knowing that Maria was going to be so bad. My cousin, and his girlfriend were stranded in Moca, right beneath the mountains. It took weeks to contact them.
— AnaLia ☽ (@whatthefuccana) March 20, 2018
Many on the mainland waited anxiously to hear from their loved ones.
My abuela in Rio Blanco just outside Naguabo still has no power. She's 82 years old. The town is emptying out and the planta is prohibitively expensive. I'm totally at a loss as to what to do for her.
— Carly (@carlydavita) March 20, 2018
What does the government plan to do to help people like this abuela?
I was on a flight last week and the man sitting next to me was an electrical linesman heading down to Puerto Rico for the third time since Maria, said he isn't going to stop until the whole island has power back. Great dude!
— Heather “18 U.S.C. § 1701” Kenney (@HeatherKenney17) March 20, 2018
At least people like this still exist in the world.
I’m from Orocovis. I shut down during the storm, when I woke up two day later I found out my aunts house had collapsed. We didn’t have any acces to roads. The Mayor said on the radio that my sector wasn’t a priority and we wouldn’t receive much help post hurricane. Still no power
— candela (@_smso_) March 20, 2018
There are far too many stories of still no power, 6 months later.
I was in Vega Alta, knowing I’d know nothing about my girlfriend and family for days. Now studying at @nyuniversity for this semester, thanks to a program NYU made for puertorrican students. Gave up everything I had to come here. Some of my family members still have no power.
— Christian Ortega (@UnChristianMas) March 20, 2018
It’s nice to hear that some university programs are helping.
The aftermath of the storm interrupted my mom’s cancer treatments for about a month. She fell and fractured her knee and several toes when the house flooded. She was evacuated to the US for treatment, but it was too advanced. We lost her in December.
— 🦇bats🦇 (@winged_things) March 20, 2018
So much heartbreak.
6 months ago I was in my house, fearing the rain, the wind and looking at what seemed like the aftermath of a forest fire.
Today I stand in that same house, looking out on how everything around me becomes green again with the patience that only plants possess. pic.twitter.com/EXVUhaHB8G
— Kei (@bookspy007) March 20, 2018
All things regrow… Someday, Puerto Rico will too.
