A Puerto Rican neighborhood destroyed by earthquakes faces Covid-19

Barrio La Luna, a neighborhood of about 30 homes in the municipality of Guánica, Puerto Rico, has repeatedly felt the power of earthquakes that have rocked the island since late December last year.

In recent times, aftershocks in early May – the largest with a magnitude of 5.4 – caused damage to the municipalities of Guanica and Guyana, near the greater city of Ponce.

Earthquakes destroyed Luna. “We have never seen anything like this before,” William Ducos, a La Luna resident, told Direct Relief employees in Spanish. I felt that everything was falling out. You cannot walk. You couldn’t even move … It was all dark when I got out and fell off one of the balcony of a house in the middle of the road. My neighbors were crying because they lost their house. “

Direct relief staff who traveled to the neighborhood in mid-May found that many community homes were either destroyed or severely damaged and surrounded by debris.

“It’s a house after a house, it just collapsed,” said Yvonne Rodriguez Yewal, Puerto Rico’s direct relief advisor in Puerto Rico.

Most of these homes were marked with a red X spray-painted sign, which indicates that the house was structurally unsound and people should not enter afterwards. Less destroyed homes are marked yellow, indicating “enter with caution”.

A number of people lived in temporary tents or wooden structures in front of their damaged homes. Others have been sleeping in nearby cars or parks, or have moved with the family elsewhere – all in the middle of the Covid-19 closure. (The closure now raises various aspects of Puerto Rican life).

Rodriguez Yewall said that living outside or in cramped conditions was worrying enough during the epidemic. She noted that “the hurricane season has now begun.” They cannot be inside their house. They cannot be outside their home. These people are not safe. “

Rafael Gómez Román, a resident of La Luna, built his own home, starting from a small wooden structure that evolved over time to a strong concrete house. His three daughters were born there. When the earthquakes struck, Gomez’s house was on sale – his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, needed care and could no longer live there.

Asked about living in earthquakes, Gomez said, “Painful. In six seconds, he lost everything he had.”

The house of Rafael Espinosa Higo is marked with a yellow X. Espinoza lived there with his father and grandmother until the earthquakes. In front of the house there was a small wooden unit where Espinoza’s father, who uses a wheelchair, now sleeps. He said in Spanish: “We had to make the small house outside … because here it vibrates every day.”

Espinosa still sleeps inside the house, arguing that he can evacuate more quickly if necessary. He spent his days caring for his father. “Now because of earthquakes, I can’t travel to work because I take care of him. He said: This is not easy.”[Hurricane] Maria, earthquakes and coved now. “

William Ducus stands outside his damaged home. (I am an ombre / direct relief)

Dukas retired from the Natural Resources and Environmental Administration of Puerto Rico in December last year. He said: “I said to myself: Now I have retirement and my house.” On January 7, I had no home.

Even in Puerto Rico, people affected by the most recent earthquake are not their first priority, said Rodriguez Yewal. She said, “The news has been forgotten and she has already moved to Coved.”

According to Rodriguez-yewal, when earthquakes were widely covered in local news, large numbers of people and aid organizations were brought to the south. Between the close and the news cycle, the picture changed.

“They are just happy … just because we are there and we have a person to talk to. Just to have someone to listen to,” she said, traveling to La Luna to assess the needs of the people who live there.

But despite losing his home, Ducós was optimistic. He said: “I am a person trying to help others.” “The important thing is that we are alive. Take [a lot] To start everything from scratch. We have no other choice. “

Anna Umbier contributed to this article.

In response to the Covid-19 epidemic, Direct Relief provided the introduction of personal protective equipment, tents for sorting and testing, ICU supplies and equipment such as ventilators and video laryngoscopes for hospitals and health centers throughout Puerto Rico.

The organization also funds test initiatives, including in senior care centers and driving test sites.

In response to both the epidemic and the earthquake, WHO is coordinating a new telehealth initiative that aims to connect 200,000 patients to safety net providers.

Direct Relief also provides “going bags” to meet the urgent needs of health center personnel in southern Puerto Rico. The organization continues to monitor the situation and is considering further interventions.

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