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Del Valle

Carlos Del Valle

Professor: Gabriela Ruiz Irizarry

INGL3103 (041)

24-5 September 2020

Hurricane María and its impact in my life

Dawn of September 20, 2017, I woke up to the violent winds and debris crashing against

my bedroom’s window. Just the sound of the wind and debris gave me goosebumps. You might

think that I would have panicked in that situation, but I understood the situation and was able to

learn from those many impactful moments Maria brought upon me, my family, and everyone

else who had to go through it.

Shortly after waking up to the hurricane, water started to rush in through electrical

receptacles and through the air conditioning vents like if it were a waterpark. If I would describe

what my house looked at that moment, I would say that it looked like El Yunque with all the

waterfalls coming from the walls. Me and my dad were the only men in the house, so we had to

help clear the house of the water and leaves. Our house was flooding so badly we ended up

mopping and scooping out several gallons. It took a physical and mental toll on my body, but I

realized that what we were doing was for our survival, it was a feeling that made me feel alive.

That moment helped me realize that I had to work hard to achieve what I wanted; it created

mental toughness in a sense. From the rigor of protecting your house during a category five

hurricane I induced that with the right mindset and determination anything is possible in life.

Even though you feel like giving up and pressing the quit button you should keep pushing

through because that is what distinguishes you.

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When all the rain and winds calmed down and we knew it was safe to come out the house

we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to see the damage. From my house you

could already see in the horizon the mountains that were all brown and lifeless. They were

usually green and filled with trees. As I walked by, I shockingly observed the streets and houses

nearby filled with what we call in Puerto Rico “escombros” or debris from top to bottom.

Majority of the trees were lying on the ground, you could tell the destructive hurricane left a

gloomy aftermath, it was hard to look at, especially when the place you grew up in is destroyed

before your eyes. The walk around the neighborhood and watching my childhood setting torn

down made me learn that we must appreciate what we have today because tomorrow we may not

have it.

My last learning point during hurricane María had to buying diesel and gas, using a

power generator, saving water, food, and not having school were some of the things I had to

adapt to, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. This was a daily thing for me, and some

days I didn’t feel like doing the absurdly long line at the gas stations or even going out to fill the

many gallons of water, but I did it anyway because we obviously had to survive. By doing these

simple yet obnoxious tasks I realized that if you want to thrive in life, you must do things you

don’t like, but do them as if you love it. For example, I applied this principle to my educational

life; I don’t like math because its challenging, but I love to do it at the same time because it

makes me struggle, and from that struggle it brings a better person out of you.

In spite of hurricane María destroying my home island I managed to take something very

valuable from it and apply it to the rest of my life. By clearing the hurricane’s water out of my

house for hours, observing my neighborhood’s aftermath, and living under limited resources like

gas, diesel, food, and water, reminded me to appreciate everything you have at the moment, and
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most importantly to give your maximum effort in life if you want to separate yourself from the

rest. Hurricane María was a scourge to me and the island but also a catalyst in my mental and

physical development.