“What We Lost in the Hurricane” is a piece written by Gabriela Matias. It focuses on Hurricane Maria and how it affected her home in Puerto Rico. She talks about sleeping on her roof and surviving through the storm with her family, grabbing as much food and water as they could. Hurricane Maria swept through the island and devastated many families, Gabriela’s being one of them. “Some say Hurricane Maria hit our island as a category 5, others say 4, but to us “lucky” folks it felt like a 10.
Hurricane Sandy hit the United States and the entire east coast in 2012. I lived upstairs in a house on Cropsey Avenue, which was right by the bay. I was 7 then and I remember hiding in my bed, my mom telling me not to worry and get some rest. The lights were out and I clutched my small keychain flashlight and my small Clifford stuffed animal tightly. I can relate to this story, from the darkness to the flooding, to the sense of not knowing what’s going to happen next.