Some students at San Luis Obispo High School are aware that it has been almost two years have passed since Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. A hurricane of that much destruction had not been seen in over 85 years, and it caused many people to lose electricity and clean water, especially those living in less occupied parts of the island like in the mountains, as well many losing their homes and family members. Some hotels that had been popular for tourists while visiting have shut down due to the infrastructure having been completely destroyed. This has caused the building to rot with all of the windows and doors being boarded up. Many popular tourist spots like the beaches and the San Juan Science Park have also been closed because the government cannot afford to pay people or for those places to be repaired or opened.

   After returning to the island in February, it can be seen that the island is making a slow recovery to how it once was before. However, many places still show signs of where the hurricane hit and what it affected, as many houses in the capital of San Juan still have blue roofs from when people came to help. The environment has also changed after the hurricane as many parts of the rainforest (known as El Yunque) still have whole areas of trees that had collapsed because of the strong winds. Another thing that has become more predominant across the island, has been the large group of tourists now visiting during the winter months and other times that are quite unusual for the island.

   Though the island is recovering slowly, life on the island has gone back to normal, though things may not be the same as they were the people of Puerto Rico have been able to continue on with their lives as they have been having this effect and making them stronger.

   I have family on the island and it has affected me deeply and made me very nervous when the hurricane hit. Luckily, everyone I knew was safe, but that wasn’t the same for other families on the island. However, to see the entire island return to how it once was made the situation there all the more better.