'Still No Water': DeKalb Woman Fears For Grandparents In Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, PR -- Gabriela Pedrazza Day had heard the reports about potentially deadly storms swirling around her native Puerto Rico, but the Stone Mountain woman just had to visit her grandfather and dear abuela, who has been crippled due to a stroke. Day happened to fly to Puerto Rico just after Hurricane Irma grazed the island nation -- but before Hurricane Maria barreled into the U.S. territory.

Day told Patch that she just barely got out -- the San Juan airport resumed service the same morning they were scheduled to depart -- before the Category 4 storm slammed into the island head-on. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"It was a very short window," Day told Patch in a phone interview. Her JetBlue flight not only dodged Irma and Maria but even "had to fly around [Hurricane] Jose," she said.

While the odds worked out in Day’s favor, not so for her beloved homeland: Maria plowed into Puerto Rico while the nation of 3.5 million people were still trying to recover from Irma, which initially darkened 1.5 million homes, many of which were quickly restored. But post-Maria, the country is facing a growing humanitarian crisis.

Day, who moved to the United States two days before her 16th birthday, said that now she is hearing reports of agony from her family, who is trapped on the island with scant resources. "There is still no power, still no water," she said.

She said that people were going to public buildings to find basic necessities, electricity and even functioning lavatories. Day said that when she went to Puerto Rico, she stayed with her grandmother, who is gravely ill after suffering two strokes.

Her grandparents were desperately trying to make it to New York, where relatives live -- but it is just not possible right now. She said her grandparents are trapped. "Most of my family is still there. They haven't been able to leave due to the flooding."

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, facing criticism over his response to Puerto Rico's pleas for aid, said that he will visit the storm-ravaged island on Tuesday. “Puerto Rico needs a lot of money," the president said.

Back on the island, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has been making impassioned pleas to the federal government and Trump directly. “I will do what I never thought I was going to do: I am begging," she said last week. "I am begging anyone that can hear us to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying. And you are killing us with the inefficiency and bureaucracy."

Early reports indicate that much of the island remains in devastation. Humanitarian aid is arriving, but is being stalled as truck drivers are finding diesel fuel sparse and many roads are still obstructed with debris.

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond recently expressed sorrow over the plight of those with ties to storm-affected areas in the Caribbean.
“We are saddened by the loss of life and property in DeKalb County following Tropical Storm Irma," Thurmond said. "We send prayers also to those in DeKalb who call the Caribbean communities home and who watched, helplessly, as many of their idyllic islands were reduced to ruins."

Day said that her plea is a simple one: Help. "Everyone's so focused on Texas and Florida right now, that they've forgotten about their neighbors to the south."

Here's how you can help
The Red Cross
The Red Cross is mobilizing more than 400 people to render aid to Puerto Rico, including gathering volunteers Wednesday at the Crowne-Plaza in College Park near the airport, the group said. Donate to Red Cross disaster relief here.

United For Puerto Rico
The first lady of Puerto Rico in tandem with some of the largest companies in the United States is heading a relief efforts to help those on the storm-ravaged island. You can donate here.
Students With Puerto Rico
U.S. students with links to Puerto Rico have started a GoFundMe campaign to help relief efforts in the wake of Maria. Give to Students With Puerto Rico.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is preparing relief items for PR as well, the organization says on its website. Donate to the Salvation Army here.

Storm images via Lucía Merino