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10133 |
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Date: October 01, 2017 at 21:57:20
From: kay.so.or, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a way out |
URL: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a way out |
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Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a way out
The day Hurricane Maria swiped through these mountains, the loose, wet dirt started to tumble and roll. It broke through the gate and through the door. It moved with ferocity and determination. It covered and filled everything.
"It looked like chocolate," said Ferdinand Ramos, a 63-year-old retired police officer whose home was directly in the path of massive landslides. The viscous mud crashed into his living room and kitchen, leaving a shin-high sludge.
Then, for almost nine days, Ramos and Norma Jimenez and members of their extended family were trapped on their property. No one came to help. Their home on the remote outskirts of this town 60 miles southwest of San Juan became a prison.
Even after they cleaned up inside, they had no way to leave — the mud, broken trees and chunks of debris had piled up outside. On Thursday — eight days after Maria had passed — a municipal utility worker cleared their street.
The family had almost run out of drinking water. Their isolated community of Caonillas had received no aid from the local or federal government, residents said. And they had no way to make the perilous trek to town; the winding roads had been obliterated and six of the family's cars had been stored in a garage that collapsed, crushing five of the vehicles and sending a sixth sliding down the mountainside and into a river.
So their daughter decided to try hitchhiking to town, desperate for bottled water for her month-old premature baby, Diana. As Jimenez, 62, waited for her daughter to return, she rocked 6-pound Diana in her arms, kissing the infant's forehead.
"She left this morning and still hasn't come back," Jimenez said.
An unknown number of families are still trapped in this part of Utuado, much of which is inaccessible nearly two weeks after the storm. From the air it is clear why: Mountaintop houses are surrounded by landslides, shredded structures are scattered down mountain slopes, and residents in some areas could be seen waving frantically for help as a helicopter passed.
Clearing roads in Puerto Rico
People in Caonillas, Puerto Rico, try to clear a road that was wiped out by a mudslide related to Hurricane Maria. Community members are tackling the roads on their own, and they say that almost no assistance or equipment has been provided by local or federal authorities. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)
Some of the homes are so remote and in such rugged terrain that getting to them requires extraordinary effort by helicopter or all-terrain vehicle. Pilots can't land in many nearby spots, making it unclear how authorities will reach people before the road infrastructure is repaired, which could take months. Residents are cut off from civilization, in some places at least a four-hour walk to the nearest store.
If aid and essential resources have been slow to reach Puerto Rico as a whole, getting help to isolated communities such as Utuado has been taking even longer. In these rural neighborhoods, tucked between mountain ranges and nestled along murky river beds, there is no telecommunication. Some residents recounted coming across Federal Emergency Management Agency officials, none carrying aid — only search-and-rescue teams seeking assessments.
These are the U.S. citizens for whom the mayor of San Juan has been crying, the people who say they have been forgotten and betrayed by their government in Washington. President Donald Trump has been declaring the federal government's role in Puerto Rico a success, but the people here see things very differently as they struggle to survive.
"In the towns I represent, there are people who have no water," said an emotional Sen. Nelson Cruz Santiago, who represents the island's southern region. "In Utuado, there is an area where the bridge was washed out and people are screaming from the other side for help. We can hear them, we can see them, but we can't help them."
At least three people died in mudslides in Utuado after Maria hit on Sept. 20. Many residents of the Caonillas neighborhood worry that if it rains again, the mountains and roads could buckle even more and come after them again.
Hector Ruiz, a utility worker hired by the Utuado municipality to clear its roads, is often the first outsider to encounter stranded families. With a large excavator on Friday, he cut through a mountain that had fallen over Highway 140.
He estimated that it will take at least one more month to make the entire highway in Utuado accessible. Ruiz said he came across a community of about 50 homes surrounded by a broken road on one side and a lake on the other.
"They can't get out either way," he said.
People stand in line for ice in Puerto Rico
People purchase ice after waiting in line for three hours in Utuado, Puerto Rico, last week. The ice was $1.50 a bag and was limited to one bag per person. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)
Ana Rosa Cruz escaped from one of those isolated communities on Friday and was walking through Caonillas with her nephew. She emerged from a road covered with tall mounds of broken trees and mud. She was out of breath and exasperated, her shins covered in scratches and gashes from the trek.
Cruz, 58, had walked for about two hours just to reach an accessible road. She was carrying empty gasoline containers and had about an hour to go to reach her destination. Since the storm, Cruz had been staying at her mother's home, which had been cut off by landslides. About nine families live there, but dozens more live even farther into the area, she said, miles away from anything.
Her mother, who has circulation problems, had enough fuel to use her generator for only two more days. She and her neighbors are forced to drink "water from the mountain or from the sky," she said.
"If she gets sick, we can't get her out," Cruz said of her mother, noting that she has seen helicopters but none of them have stopped. "We just wave goodbye, because there's nothing else we can do."
For Lisandra Torres, 43, who lives down the road from Jimenez and Ramos, her family's sedan is too low to the ground to make it up the muddy, rugged route — only a four-wheel-drive SUV would even have a chance. Torres walked for three hours to get to the center of Utuado on Thursday, seeking food and water. Her extended family is almost out of cash, so Torres tried to pick up their benefit checks from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — known as WIC — to purchase food and diapers for her grandchildren. But the WIC offices in their town were closed.
"If my babies get sick, I need to buy medication," said her daughter, Lizbeth Coraliza, 24.
A relative tried driving her sister, Angelica Coraliza, 26, to a minimart Friday in a different sedan. That car got stuck four times because of mud and road damage, and other drivers had to help. When they finally made it to the store, they found that it was sold out of water.
The Coralizas, like many other families in the Utuado area, can reach mountain springs. The cloudy water works for bathing and cleaning, but many said they wouldn't risk drinking it and definitely wouldn't give it to infants.
Jimenez's daughter might not have a choice.
The young mother has been struggling to breast-feed her newborn, probably because she is stressed and not getting enough to eat, Jimenez said. If they can't find bottled water, the family will have to start boiling water from the mountain to add to the baby's formula.
the whole article at the link....
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[10146] [10134] [10135] [10137] [10139] [10143] [10144] [10136] [10140] [10138] |
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10146 |
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Date: October 09, 2017 at 01:09:22
From: kemokae, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a way... |
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I don' t know if I can help any of them, but here's some ideas I've seen that have worked...dropping tarps
down by helicopter...they can catch the morning dew by
licking it off the tarp...watch the birds, you can do the same thing licking dew of plants. Then if it rains and they have enough of them, spread them out on top of the ground so the rain can't penetrate the soil and cause mudslides. Dropping bails of straw does much the same also, it can slow mudlides down. If anyone has an old pickup truck ...bolt and heavy piece of lumber on the front bumper and take it down the road like an grader...you don't have to be street level to help remove the mud in areas. They might as for fruit jucies
besides water...especially the power drinks...an little bit of those or pedialite can help the infants and small kids from dehydration and needing extra nurtrition. My thing I stock up in is soup...it pop top cans. They don't take an lot of room to haul either. Pancake mixes in plastic bags or boxes to drop..they can make pancakes, and add an can of corn to it...syrup. Kind you only need water to make it into batter...also stove top "bread" mixes with gravy packets. MOst our stores here sell bottles/drinking glass(in plastic) with filter straws in them... that are also water purifiers for under an couple of dollars. Powdered milk also. Peanut butter and jam.
Fresh apples an bananas. Not the greatest of diets but
plenty of us have lived off them and beans if necessary. Our area was rural when we first lived here and by golly after one winter you start knowing to prepare for bad weather before it hits, not after...and neighbors help neighbors....not always the Government....I can't think of them ever coming out this far in bad weather...but the reverend of the local church had an farmer guy in his congregation,
they took an tractor and cleared our streets after an
week so the old folks could get to stores for food. People would pick up neighbors walking if they were chained and driving into town. Good reason to have an pond in your back yard..it might serve for water needs
if you have the filter and can boil it. So you don't have it now...well its a good time to maybe put one in now. Get an used Boy Scout book, it will tell all kinds of things to know to survive rough times. If you have to depend on fuels of any kind you probably going to be waiting for an long time...get the debris burned up in an campfire. Good reason to have an bicycle also.
They can haul back on the sides of it and you walk ...
about 150 pounds of goods. The narrow tires will allow them to go places an car can't drive also. REad your kids books or tell them stories...kids that are not in stress with their parents....are easier to handle also.
Good luck on an passing helicopter...if anyone can get
ahold of them wish you all the best. Do for yourself and those locally and see what you can do...you might be surprised If you pool together resources.
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10134 |
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Date: October 02, 2017 at 01:49:34
From: Polydactyl in N. Bay, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a way... |
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I wonder if they could drop big soft containers of water from small bush planes? Poor people. A general apparently was giving support to the Governor by saying she was living on a cot herself. The boats are out of fuel for delivering supplies locally by boat, on top of roads being out. If they don't get water, lots of people are going to be dying soon. I wasn't aware of how rugged Puerto Rico really is.
Trump is supposed to be going to PR this week. I hope he can keep his big-tweet-beak shut until then. What kind of person rags on the female governor of PR when they have people dying from lack of doctors, power, and supplies? And where ARE the doctors without borders that usually show up at disasters?
What a jerk Trump is being. What is the governor supposed to do, wave a magic wand? Any more tweets like this without thinking or checking out the situation himself, I'll be calling him an idiot, sorry to say, the shoe fits.
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Responses:
[10135] [10137] [10139] [10143] [10144] [10136] [10140] [10138] |
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10135 |
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Date: October 02, 2017 at 06:53:39
From: abra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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So they have access to mountain springs but refuse to drink it. I find that real interesting...do people even READ what's posted? Sometimes I have my doubts...
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Responses:
[10137] [10139] [10143] [10144] [10136] [10140] [10138] |
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10137 |
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Date: October 02, 2017 at 13:13:17
From: Polydactyl in N. Bay, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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Speaking of which, did you read the posted article?
'The cloudy water works for bathing and cleaning, but many said they wouldn't risk drinking it and definitely wouldn't give it to infants.'
Let me ask you something. Do you believe everything you read? Reading about a disaster is waaaaaaay different than living through one. Fact.
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[10139] [10143] [10144] |
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10139 |
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Date: October 03, 2017 at 09:02:04
From: abra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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I"ve been through MANY hurricanes, have you??? I grew up in FLA and went through caroline, and about ten or fifteen other big name storms. If I had a choice between drinking cloudy water ( um... let it stand?) or sitting waiting for help, well the answer is pretty clear. If there is a take away from this event, it's HAVE A BIG BERKEY WATER FILTER> Best money you'll ever spend. I feel totally sorry for those folks caught up in this disaster, but one has to think clearly and cover the basics. Have a berkey, put in some canned and dried food, have some fuel. It's not rocket science...
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[10143] [10144] |
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10143 |
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Date: October 05, 2017 at 23:30:07
From: Polydactyl in N. Bay, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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In all the hurricanes you've been through, did you have a Berkey filter and the rest to get through a few weeks of empty shelves? And if you didn't have an ER supply, what made you change your mind? Tx! And I do appreciate your hurricane experience! My uncle's been through plenty and they don't have any backup gear...
My experience drinking mt. river water way back on an 11 day hike ended in being sick, with 6 months of diarrhea, likely from Giardia, never diagnosed except for a full barium X-ray and fluoroscopy (betting UCLA made a bunch of money out of my hide that day). So, no thanks on the dirty water. A girl scout leader told me water was perfectly safe if it traveled over rocks for 100 feet. Ahhahaha. The joke was on me- :)
I have heard that one can make a water condensation platform pretty easily though you won't get a ton of water out of it, without rain. You're right in that people in the path of hurricanes, on an island, should have a backup for getting water, some way or other, and one that's going to filter the basic crud out. Not that many people these days have filters for water. There's that 'life straw' I think it's called that I've thought of buying for a quick fix. And of course, the gravity water filter idea that uses clay and what not.
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[10144] |
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10144 |
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Date: October 06, 2017 at 11:34:34
From: abra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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I never did have a berkey during all those hurricanes, as I was a child, living with my non prepper parents in miami. Looking back, they were beyond stupid! NEVER put aside water, NEVER put aside food. It was the sixties and everyone believed in the event a problem uncle sam would charge in and help us. My how times have changed...
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10136 |
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Date: October 02, 2017 at 11:46:32
From: kay.so.or, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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it says it has lots of dirt in it and if they don't have filters to clear that out, well.....did you read the whole article?
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[10140] [10138] |
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10140 |
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Date: October 03, 2017 at 09:04:05
From: abra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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Yes, letting water stand, and pouring through a coffee filter will both take out debris. You aren't giving these folks enough credit. I have a lot of respect for the "can do" folks that are making things happen on the Island. Less respect for those who did not prepare and are now sitting on their asses waiting for the "government" to help. Not a good plan in m opinion!
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10138 |
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Date: October 02, 2017 at 13:21:14
From: Polydactyl in N. Bay, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don't see help, or a... |
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I'm sorry, I did not read all the posts first which is often is a good idea, before replying. I'm still learning online etiquette...:)
I feel sorry for their governor who is beside herself for not getting more help from the US government. Trump thinks he can showboat on the whole thing by flying there, standing among the ruins, and telling everyone he's got 10thousand people on the ground (reminds my of Christy during Hurricane Sandy). Sometimes you can tell something about a person's rag on someone else, like it might be a projection of their own anger? Trump rags the governor for mis-management and not having control of her people - uh huh- ;)
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