Sunday 24 th September 2017. West Australian time - 21:50
"The sound...the noise...describe the sound when you were inside the storm," I asked.
The storm had sucked air and water through the drains as it passed over Puerto Rico. It hit like a jack-hammer thrown inside a giant concrete mixer. Newspapers, television and radio services are slowly resuming. Communication is finally beginning to return to a place that was battered around like a helpless vegetable in a demonic soup mixer of gargantuan proportions. Five days after the storm, I managed to catch up with marine biologist Jack Sabados and ask to interview him. Researcher Jack Sabados has a background studying whales and is currently conducting shark research. He is based in the Caribbean, in Puerto Rico.
“ 'Borinquen’ is a word tiana. It refers to Puerto Rico. I am Puerto Rican and Boricua” he tells me. Incidentally, when translated, ‘Borinquen’ means “Land of the Valiant Lord”.
After harrowing reports of residents reporting large numbers of dead birds found near the coast of San Juan, I asked,”Were many animals injured? Did birds inland survive?”
Sabados, who has been involved in checking animals that have survived the hurricane, replied, "The birds are ready…are the first to flee. The problem is the domestic animals.”
Still stunned by the storm, when asked if the schools remain open, he replied, “They are not yet closed.”
I asked how his house was.
“Luckily, my house is quite good. Some damage in the interior because of the water,” he explains.
His garden was ripped up from its roots and thrown back upside down. What remained of it was drowning in deep, thick mud.
“The force of the wind is so strong that even when the windows are protected to match the force of the wind, they manage to break with the force of the tree’s branches or by the trees themselves hitting walls and ceilings,” he said. “The wind picks up the trees from the ground and hits the houses in the rain…then we sneak through our houses quietly and watch as the water starts to rise.”
I asked Sabados to tell me about the day Hurricane Maria hit them in Puerto Rico. He was 20 kilometres from the coast.
“After the hurricane, well chaos...flooded streets, Arracandos trees, destroyed homes, cars over-turned and destroyed…lack of food…without electricity…without gas to make food” he stated simply.
“Before a hurricane, everyone prepares…block doors and windows to prevent the wind and rain from breaking glass. The electricity goes away…there is no rain at first…then strong winds…strong winds. Then the sun rises and the houses begin to flood. The trees are destroyed. Cars are washed away.”
“Do you mind if I ask…have many people lost their homes?” I said.
“Yes, there are people who have lost everything. There are people who are still in shelters and cannot return to their half destroyed homes,” he answered.
Cut-throat water rations put in place yesterday mean that fresh, running water is now only available for two hours every day for washing and cooking and basic human needs.
I said ,“You're up early. I’d like to ask you some questions. How do you say ‘Borinquen?” I asked.
“I needed a cup of coffee and to shower, “ he replied stoically.“ I’ve been working all night”.
The overnight dusk to dawn curfew has just been extended and the power was still out. A skilled marine biologist, Sabados was helping rescue animals and pets until the coast was clear. Volunteers were clearing the roads.
I asked, “Is normal transport running in most places yet…public transport? Are you able to purchase supples?”
“There are only minimal services, because the thing is still quite complicated…just basic services…” he responded.
“Shops?” I asked.
“Just the basic ones. They try to have it open so that people can buy but only the basic thing (food)… try to return to the normality” he answered.
He never mentioned the sewerage systems which were now going to have to be cleared without the presence of running water. Nor did he mention how he was going to wash his clothes in the stinking, tropical heat without power or water. There appear to have been no public requests from the American government for international assistance.
Hurricane Maria was a bitch of a storm. She’s ripped the guts out of a country that was already struggling. Maria came when the Boricua were down and kicked them in the teeth then left them bleeding in their own mud with the rocks she threw from the sea.
After refusing to answer if his windows were broken, Jack Sabados…a man who considers himself an educated, cultured American marine scientist managed to sum up the situation in four simple words, “Trump has forgotten us.”
Deborah Quirke.
Perth, Western Australia.
