Los hijos del Huracán María

On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and shut off the few lights that remained after Hurricane Irma swept through two weeks earlier. The delayed and inadequate response of the United States federal government left its citizens without roofs, light, drinking water, transportation, and communication. The shuttered schools and businesses and the lack of hope for swift or lasting solutions triggered a massive migration to Florida and other states. With the few possessions they still had, thousands of Puerto Ricans arrived traumatized by what they had lost and how their government had forgotten them. On February 3, 2018 in the Mennonite church, eighteen students from the Spanish in the Community class welcomed eight Puerto Ricans by sitting down to share a meal with them and listen to their stories. The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program collaborated by providing technical support, along with the directors of the Latino/a Diaspora project. Listen now to the voices of the children of Hurricane Maria who migrated to Florida to put down roots and start over again.

Produced by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program
University of Florida
Program director Paul Ortiz, PhD.
352 392-7168
http://oral.history.ufl.edu
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241 Pugh Hall
University of Florida
​Cat. No. VIDS 297
April 2018