PUERTO RICO CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE POWERFUL AFTERSHOCKS,
AS RESIDENTS ARE STILL RECOVERING FROM A SERIES OF
EARTHQUAKES.
ON SATURDAY A 5.9 AFTERSHOCK WAS REPORTED -- THIS
AFTER LAST WEEK'S 6.4 MAGNITUDE QUAKE.
T HE SITUATION IN PUERTO RICO HITS CLOSE TO HOME IN
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AS MANY FAMILIES HAVE RELATIVES THERE.
I SAT DOWN WITH TONY QUINONES, THE WORK-BASED LEARNING
COORDINATOR FOR HOLYOKE HIGH SCHOOL, MICHAEL ORTIZ-CARABAYO A
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND SCHOOL COUNSELOR LAURA VASQUEZ TO HEAR
MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT AND HOW HOLYOKE IS HELPING THOSE
AFFECTED.
>> THE ISLAND HAS BEEN TREMBLING SINCE OCTOBER 28TH BUT IT WASN'T
UNTIL JANUARY 27TH THAT A 6.4 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STARTED.
IT HAPPENED ON THE MOSTLY ON THE
WEST SIDE HAVE THE HAPPENED WHERE I'M FROM AND NEAR THE
EPICENTER.
MY UNCLE'S HOUSE COLLAPSED.
MY SON WAS THERE AND MY -- AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW AND MY MOM --
THEY'RE ALL THERE AND I'VE DECIDED TO BRING THEM OVER AND
YESTERDAY I PICKED UP MY SON.
HE'S THEORY THANKFULLY AND PICKED UP MY SISTER LAST NIGHT
AND TOMORROW MY MOTHER-IN-LAW IS FLYING IN.
SHE'S 73, NEVER BEEN ON AN AIRPLANE AND SHE DIDN'T COME FOR
MY DAUGHTER'S BIRTH BUT THIS EARTHQUAKE MADE HER DECIDE I
CAN'T BE HERE ANYMORE THAT SHE'S SO DESPERATE SHE'S FINALLY GOING
TO FLY HERE SO WE PICK HER UP TOMORROW.
IT'S BEEN ROUGH.
WE'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING -- DIFFERENT FROM MARIA THE
COMMUNICATIONS HAVEN'T BEEN GOING DOWN AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM AND I SAW ON FACETIME AND I SAW THE
DESPERATIONS ON THEIR FACES.
PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE.
THEY DECIDED NOT TO SLEEP INSIDE THEIR HOMES ANYMORE SO EVERYBODY
IS SLEEPING IN TENTS EVEN THOUGH THEIR HOMES ARE STILL THERE.
THEY'RE JUST AFRAID TO BE INSIDE BECAUSE MY HUH'S HOUSE
COLLAPSED, WHY WON'T THEIR HOUSES COLLAPSE?
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT HURRICANE MARIA WHICH IS 2 YEARS
AGO DESTROYED I DON'T HAVE THE HOUSES THAT WERE NOT HARD
STRUCTURES LIKE CEMENT NOW THE EARTHQUAKES ARE BRINGING DOWN
HOUSES THAT WITHHELD THE HURRICANE AND SO NOW THEY'RE
KIND OF LIKE HOMELESS BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO BE INSIDE
THEIR HOMES.
MY MOM IS SLEEPING IN HER CAR.
MOM -- I CAN'T GO IN SHE SAYS, IT'S TREMBLING ALL THE TIME.
>> WHERE WAS YOUR SON WHEN IT OCCURRED.
>> WITH MY MOTHER -- WITH HIS GRANDMA.
MY UNCLE'S HOUSE WAS A FEW STREETS DOWN AND THIS ONE WENT
DOWN AND SO EVERYBODY IS NERVOUS.
THEY DON'T WANT TO SLEEP INDOORS.
NOBODY IS SLEEPING INDOORS.
>> YOU WERE TALKING A LITTLE BIT WITH WILL KNOW WITH YOUR SON --
>> IT'S DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT HASN'T GONE DOWN.
THE HURRICANE DESTROYED THE COMMUNICATIONS IN THE AIR.
THIS IS COMING FROM THE BOTTOM SO THOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE
STILL -- AND SEEING HIS FACE AND HEARING THE PEOPLE SCREAM AND
PRAY -- >> THAT WAS ON FACETIME?
>> AND SO HERE YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO GET TO HIM BUT YOU CAN SEE IT
HAPPENING?
>> SEE IT HAPPENING, YEP, AND I HAD TO BUY A TICKET AND HE --
THEY FLEW IN YESTERDAY.
I CAN'T MEET THEM DOWN THERE 'CAUSE I CAN'T STAND THE IDEA OF
HIM -- AND WHEN HE CAME DOWN HE BROKE DOWN AND CRIED.
HE'S A 20-YEAR-OLD MAN AND I'VE NEVER SEEN MY SON CRY LIKE THAT.
HE SAID I'M FINALLY HOME.
I DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN TO THE ISLAND ANYMORE.
HE WAS THERE DURING THE HURRICANE, TOO, SO HE'S SEEN
HURRICANES AND EARTHQUAKES.
HE JUST CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE.
LIKE HE SAID IT'S GETTING HEARDR AND HARDER DAD.
I LOVE THE ISLAND BUT I CAN'T LIVE THERE ANYMORE.
>> CAN YOU TELL ME THE SITUATION WITH HURRICANE MARIA.
'CAUSE YOU SAID HE WAS THERE.
>> MY WIFE WAS THERE AND MY KIDS WERE HERE.
I HAD JUST MOVED 3 WEEKS BEFORE THE HURRICANE 'CAUSE WE DECIDED
IT WAS TIME TO MOVE.
WE WANTED TO GET TEACHING JOBS HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS SO I CAME
UP FIRST AND 3 WEEKS LATER THE HURRICANE HIT AND I COULDN'T
COMMUNICATE WITH THEM FOR A WEEK AND THAT WAS HORRIBLE AND AFTER
A WEEK, I FINALLY GOT AHOLD OF THEM AND THEY'RE HERE NOW AND MY
WIFE SAYS I FINALLY SEE WHAT YOU FELT HAVING PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND
SUFFER LIKE THAT 'CAUSE SHE SAW HER SON SUFFER AND THAT'S WHY WE
BROUGHT HIM OVER HERE.
HE CAN'T STAY DOWN THERE.
IT'S ROUGH.
>> MICHAEL, TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE.
YOU CAME OVER TO HOLYOKE AFTER HURRICANE MARIA.
YOU HAVE FAMILY IN PUERTO RICO.
TELL ME WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM THEM.
>> SO WHEN I WOKE UP ON TUESDAY, MY BEST FRIEND -- SHE TEXTED ME
AND SHE WAS CRYING ON AUDIO SHE WAS TELLING ME ABOUT, LIKE, WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> MY FAMILY -- AND THEY'RE MAINLY FROM AREAS THAT DIDN'T
GET AS AFFECTED LIKE HIS FAMILY DID BUT STILL, IT'S LIKE -- YOU
GET CONCERNED BECAUSE THEY'RE THERE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE
IT'S GOING TO HIT AGAIN, IF IT HAPPENS SO, YEAH, AND MY
BROTHER, HE'S THERE.
HE IS COMING ON SUNDAY, THANK GOD, AND MY MOM -- SHELVES LIKE
SO WORRIED, CRYING.
IT'S JUST SO HARD TO SEE HER, LIKE, THAT -- MY GRANDMA, SHE'S
ALONE.
SHE HAS PROBLEMS WITH HER KNEES.
>> AND YOU LIVED THROUGH HURRICANE MARIA.
YOU'RE 16, A JUNIOR AT HOLYOKE HIGH SCHOOL SO THIS IS SORT OF A
REHASH OF SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT YOU'VE HAD.
>> UH-HUH, THEY ARE.
IT IS.
BECAUSE IT WAS -- THE HURRICANE WAS REALLY HARD.
LIKE WE WERE NOT EXPECTING IT -- LIKE WE WERE EXPECTING IT TO BE
HARD, LIKE, WHEN IT FINALLY HIT, IT WAS A REAL BAD EXPERIENCE
BECAUSE OF THE LINES, THE PEOPLE, SO MANY PEOPLE THAT LOST
THEIR HOUSES AND THERE'S STILL PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE, LIKE,
ROOFS.
THEY HAVE THE BLUE THINGS.
AND IT'S JUST -- IT WAS A REAL BAD EXPERIENCE.
>> SO THIS COMES -- I KNOW IT'S 2 YEARS LATER BUT IT'S REALLY
KIND OF LIKE ON THE HEELS OF ALL THAT DEFINITION OF FROM MARIA.
IN HOLYOKE YOU STARTED DID NEWCOMERS PROGRAM AT THAT SCHOOL
AND TELL ME ABOUT THAT PROGRAM AND HOW IT HAS HELPED, YOU KNOW,
KIDS COPE COPED.
>> IT'S FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE COME BACK 2 YEARS.
I FEEL LIKE IT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DEVELOP A
TIGHT COMMUNITY AMONGst EACH OTHER SO I FEEL LIKE WHEN THE
HURRICANE HIT, YOU KNOW, WE DID HAVE AN INFLUX OF STUDENTS AND
WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME TERTIARY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND
THE STUDENTS FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING AND TALKING TO US, AND
EVEN WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED ON THAT DAY I WALKED
INTO SCHOOL AND ONE OF OUR TEACHERS WAS, YOU KNOW, JUST
DOING -- LIKE -- NOT A PANIC ATTACK BUT A LOT OF ANXIETY AND
THEN THE STUDENTS WERE JUST SCARED AND NOT KNOWING WHAT'S
GOING ON, AND EVEN HE SAID, LIKE, THERE IS COMMUNICATION.
THE BAD PART ABOUT HAVING ACCESS TO INTERNET IT'S IN YOUR FACE
ALL THE TIME.
PEOPLE ARE CALLING YOU CONSTANTLY WANTING TO TALK TO
YOU BECAUSE THEY'RE SCARED AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE STUDENTS ARE
COMING OUT OF THE CLASSROOMS OR THEY'RE IN CLASS RECEIVING TEXT
MESSAGES SO WE WANTED TO OFFER SOME SUPPORT AND SO MYSELF AND
MISS ORTIZ SHE'S ANOTHER SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT COUNSELOR AND WE WENT
IN THE CLASS AND WE PULLED OUT SOME STUDENTS WHO NEED SOMED TO
GO IN ANOTHER CLASSROOM TO HEAR HEY, I'M OKAY AND JUST HAVE THAT
SPACE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT TELLING THE
PHONES, HEY, PUT YOUR PHONES AWAY WE'RE REALIZING AT A SCHOOL
SOME STUDENTS NEED A BREAK TO TALK TO SOMEBODY OR TAKE SOME
TIME TO GATHER THEMSELVES AND THEN GO BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM
SO, YOU KNOW, OUR SCHOOLS IS TRYING TO BE RESPONSIVE HOW WE
CAN BEST SUPPORT THE STUDENTS AND JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY EVEN IN PUERTO RICO.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS -- YOU KNOW, SO STUDENTS
CAN TAKE CONTROL AND FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GIVING BACK.
>> TELL US SOME OF THE WAYS YOU ARE PLANNING HELPING FAMILIES IN
PUERTO RICO.
>> WELL, I'M TALKING TO SOME FRIENDS WHO ARE ON THE GROUND IN
PUERTO RICO AND HELPING OUT SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
TYPE OF -- WHAT THE NEEDS ARE WHETHER IT'S MONEY OR TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT SUPPLIES.
THERE'S SOME PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE MAYBE PROVIDING, LIKE,
LANTERNS OR BLANKETS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT WE'LL NEED BUT WE DEFINITELY WANT TO START SOME
TYPE OF COLLECTION NEXT WEEK, AND AS A SCHOOL WE'RE TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING WE COULD
POTENTIALLY RECEIVE AN INFLUX OF NEW FAMILIES COMING INTO THE
AREA SO WHAT SUPPORT ARE THEY GOING TO NEED SO WE NEED TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT MAKES SENSE TO SEND IT OVER OR SUPPORT THE
PEOPLE COMING HERE, YOU KNOW, TO, LIKE, HOLYOKE.