On the Anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Victims and Survivors Are Remembered

One year ago today at exactly 6:15 a.m. local time, Hurricane Maria — category 5 — made landfall in Puerto Rico and life forever was never the same. On the anniversary of this tragedy, people are remembering not only the victims that perished, which have only recently been acknowledged, but also the survivors who continue to struggle with regaining normalcy.

“It was as if a 50- to 60-mile-wide tornado raged across Puerto Rico, like a buzz saw.” That is how Jeff Weber, a meteorologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, explained the brutality that people experienced on that day. Yet, despite knowing the turmoil endured, the loss of life, and people who still haven’t recovered from it, the President of the United States fails to see the reality and calls the recovery of a success.

But today isn’t about him, it’s about Puerto Ricans on the island and on the main land. People on social media, including celebs, activists, and empathizers are expressing their thoughts about today’s anniversary, remembering those that died, and providing strength to those still trying to survive.

Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, was on of the first to vocalize the severity of Hurricane Maria and has been advocating for her people ever since.

Hoy María nos quitó mucho, en ese momento nos quedó la valentía, la cría boricua y el amor para volver a empezar https://t.co/m82NKVK4i4

— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 20, 2018

On this day, she’s retweeting several images and videos of what happened that day, but this song sure is touching.

Lin-Manuel Miranda releases the new single “A Forgotten Spot” to commemorate the anniversary.

YOUR SEPTIEMBRE #HAMILDROP:
For the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, I cut a sample for @itsTROOKO.
Then we gave the mic to legendary 🇵🇷 artists:
Zion & Lennox, De La Ghetto, Ivy Queen, PJ Sin Suela & Lucecita Benitez. Here’s
A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)https://t.co/VBaypfRq6r pic.twitter.com/dngn1YYfAb

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 20, 2018

The song features several Puerto Rican artists.

Mijente and LatinoJustice PRLDEF — two Latinx organizations — gathered this morning in front of Federal Plaza for a moment of silence and to read off the names of some of the people who died as a result of Hurricane Maria.

These images of the hurricane are still so haunting

Sept. 20, 2017-6:10 AM.
That’s the time stamp on this video from San Juan. At this very moment last year, the center of Hurricane María was just 5 minutes away from making landfall in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/izmRaftqDN

— Leyla Santiago (@leylasantiago) September 20, 2018

Today’s anniversary is especially hard for those who have yet to recover.

Puerto Rico's 3.3M citizens are now survivors of one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history. Nearly every one of them lives today with some emotional or physical trauma. Many feel that they've been abandoned, left to fend for themselves on a #ForgottenIsland pic.twitter.com/mrbFc8wKxI

— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) September 20, 2018

And their are ways you can help.

https://twitter.com/Nelba_MG/status/1042722934891196416

Really want to do something for Puerto Rico? 1- Register to vote,2- go vote to ensure that in November Trump looses his power in Congress.

— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 20, 2018

These are some of the faces of Puerto Ricans on the island.

Marytere, David, Brenda, Angel, Carmen, and PUERTO RICO… one year after Hurricane Maria. https://t.co/0m7uSnNLXy pic.twitter.com/oR2RRHaFtI

— Leyla Santiago (@leylasantiago) September 20, 2018

FEMA data analyzed by our @jugalpatelNYT shows FEMA spent more than double on housing repair grants in Texas compared to Puerto Rico, on about 50,000 fewer people. https://t.co/e38hkPz9UW

— Frances Robles (@FrancesRobles) September 20, 2018

Here’s some more ways people are honoring the dead and the survivors.

What a beautiful arrangement of “Amanacer borincano,” sung at 6:15am in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, the same time Hurricane Maria made landfall last year. Part one: pic.twitter.com/Fn2RHZy4AX

— Luis Ferré-Sadurní (@luisferre) September 20, 2018

“We’re getting used to a new normal. And as part of that process, we have to cry and mourn because we’re basically burying our old life in Puerto Rico.” One yr after #HurricaneMaria, islanders remember the dead and lives forever changed, by @Nicolemarie_Ahttps://t.co/WcpoyP0Fu3 pic.twitter.com/BrLYkK9Uxh

— NBC Latino (@NBCLatino) September 20, 2018

The hug I will never forget. We landed in Quebradillas four days after Maria. Brenda hugged me immediately, without even know who I was. I was the first outsider she had seen in the days after Maria. Puerto Rico: Then & Now. A year later, Brenda's story… https://t.co/0m7uSnNLXy pic.twitter.com/fnqkgTsARz

— Leyla Santiago (@leylasantiago) September 19, 2018

Jerriel is a US citizen in Puerto Rico. He can't vote in the midterms so he's moving 500 people who love PR to vote on his behalf.

1. Watch Jerriel's story.

2. Promise to vote on his behalf (if you can): https://t.co/zTCTFLt6fN https://t.co/3l5tSIP3Qe#TheLoveVote

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 19, 2018