Introduction to Crónicas Catastróficas

       The idea behind Crónicas de un Futuro Catastrófico (Chronicles of a Catastrophic Future) began during one of those many dark nights without electricity. I was holding a flashlight while trying to finish preparing my tuna and Ritz crackers dinner (if I might add, around this time, we were beginning to get nervous about running out of food) and I was talking to my partner about an odd curiosity I was having: What would it be like if everyone living on the Island had their Tarot cards read before the storm? I remember saying: “Wow, is it kind of crazy to think the cards would say the SAME thing to all of us? – I see a great catastrophe lying ahead in your near future”. Fact of the matter is, all of the Island’s residents, before and after the hurricane, have had to endure a great deal of devastation. These last 4 months have felt like being in a never-ending purgatory. Not only because of the hurricane, Maria no doubt was a monster and left its mark on modern history, but also due to the humanitarian detachment of our local and federal government.

       Hurricane Maria started its path through Puerto Rico on Wednesday, September 20th, 2017 starting at 6:15am from Yabucoa and leaving through Camuy and Quebradillas at around 2pm. According to the information provided by the National Hurricane Center in Miami (NHC) it stated that it came in as a Category 4 hurricane with 155mph winds and a barometric pressure of 917mbar. Puerto Rico’s Doppler radar got destroyed as soon as the hurricane touched ground. Luckily, they were able to use the NHC’s satellite images to keep track of the hurricane’s route.

       This storm came to Puerto Rico with the worst possible timing, the Island is in an economic growth crisis involving a public debt of $73 billion with a poverty rate of 40%.

       After the hurricane, the first calculations for rebuilding were estimated to be at least $30 million.

       Needless to say, corruption has long been a subject matter here in Puerto Rico. It’s become habitual to say: “They all steal, you just have to vote for the one who’s going to steal less”. But even though it’s a customary saying, many people still prefer denying and/or ignoring the truth. That said, Hurricane Maria’s passing unleashed a series of events that further evidenced these circumstances. In fact, I’ve come to believe that the hurricane not only took away our home’s roofs, but it also took away the blanket that was covering all the lies, corruption and deceit. Everything is now exposed.

       That said, Crónicas de un Futuro Catastrófico (Chronicles of a Catastrophic Future) summarizes what happened after Hurricane María.