Phoenix native notes 'completely invisible' government response to Puerto Rico hurricane
Jennifer Morrow was born and raised in Phoenix but decided to move to Puerto Rico in 2016 after making a stop in San Juan while on a Caribbean cruise and falling in love with the island.
She rode out Hurricane Maria in her concrete home in Humacoa, a beach town on the southeast corner of the island that was ground zero for the powerful storm as it slammed into Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, causing massive devastation.
Nearly two weeks later, Morrow remains almost completely cut off from the outside world after the hurricane knocked out electricity and cellphone communication on most of the island.
The Arizona Republic reached out to her through her Facebook page last Monday, five days after the storm made a direct hit on Puerto Rico. It took another six days for Morrow to respond after travelling into the mountains, where she managed briefly to get cellphone service.
Through a series of texts, Morrow shared photos and provided a brief description of the dire situation in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory that's home to 3.4 million Americans.
"I am currently in Caguas, with phone service. Waiting in line to enter the grocery store to buy food. The store is barely operating on backup generators, and cash only payments.The lines for cash at the ATM is almost as long as the fuel lines.
Broken wind turbines and trees stripped bare by Hurricane Maria near Ceiba, Puerto Rico. (Photo: Jennifer Morrow/Special for The Republic)
"We had water damage to our roof from Irma, (a monster hurricane that hit Puerto Rico two weeks earlier). (Hurricane) Maria made it worse, but the roof held. Concrete construction. We do not have electricity anywhere.
"Our neighborhood was the entry point for Hurricane Maria. The community is really coming together to help each other. It's not hot compared to Phoenix. The rain storm last night was cool and refreshing. But it brought more mudslides.
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