Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 15 September 2017
Caribbean families separate to rebuild lives after storm

By DANICA COTO would take. ing to separate from them. for her two brothers and a Boston for now.
Associated Press “They don’t know what to Volunteers at the conven- sister to arrive from St. John. “Everybody’s pulling their
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico say,” Cooper said of gov- tion center played with her She flew to Puerto Rico to children out,” she said. “It’s
(AP) — The shrieks of chil- ernment officials in the children and others, trying welcome them and said completely destroyed. No-
dren playing volleyball and British Virgin Islands. “They to maintain a sense of nor- they would be staying with body has anything left.”
the occasional barking of don’t want to give us false malcy during the transition. her, her husband and their Some of those arriving in
dogs echoed inside Puer- hope.” On Wednesday night, the two children in Atlanta un- Puerto Rico on the cruise
to Rico’s largest conven- Raquel Oloye, a 41-year- children gathered around til life returned to normal in ship said they would stay
tion center, transformed old nurse who lives on Tor- a screen that was playing the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their with friends and family in
into a shelter for hurricane tola, the largest island in “Peppa Pig,” an animated mother, Maria Chiappero, the U.S. mainland until they
victims from other Carib- the British chain, also was British TV show. a 49-year-old housekeeper got a better idea of how
bean islands as hundreds long reconstruction would
of families devastated by take.
the Category 5 storm tran- Katie Claxton, who works
sition toward new lives. for a trust company in Tor-
For many, that included tola, said she, her husband
tearful good-byes as they and their pit bull, Oreo,
leave behind children with would live with her mother
friends or family on the U.S. in Philadelphia for now.
mainland, where they can “It was horrible,” she said of
go to school while their the hurricane. “Total dev-
parents return to jobs on astation.”
the islands and try to re- After dropping off the
build their lives. evacuees from the Virgin
Puerto Rico has received Islands, the cruise ship, Roy-
more than 2,000 U.S. citi- al Caribbean’s “Majesty of
zens who were living or the Seas,” was stocking up
vacationing in islands bat- on food, water and other
tered by Hurricane Irma supplies before heading
last week, including more to the French Caribbean
than 500 who arrived via territory of St. Martin late
cruise ship on Thursday. Thursday. It was to return
Many live in the U.S. and to Puerto Rico on Saturday
British Virgin Islands and A woman smiles as she is embraced after arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 14, with hundreds more hurri-
were heading from San 2017, via a cruise ship packed with families evacuated from Caribbean islands devastated by cane survivors.
Juan to the U.S. mainland Hurricane Irma. Puerto Rico transformed their largest convention center into a shelter for some of Kelly Wieland, 51, from Bay
to leave their children with the hurricane victims. Some of those arriving on the cruise ship said they would stay with friends City, Michigan, who was
relatives and then go back and family in the U.S. mainland until they got a better idea on how long reconstruction would take. among those ferried out
home to resume work so (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo) Thursday, said she planned
they can keep providing to fly to Virginia to stay with
for their loved ones. planning to leave her three “It was the first time they at a villa in St. John, would friends. She had moved to
“I’m going to miss you, and young children in Orlando smiled,” Oloye said of her also be staying with them St. John just days before
you’re going to miss me with her mother and return children, who are 9, 6 and temporarily and then go the storm hit to try to find a
too, but this is what it’s go- to work soon. Like Cooper, 4. home if she could find a job and start a new life.
ing to be for now,” Josette she and the children were Throughout the morning, job.“They plan to rebuild,” She and nearly 100 other
Cooper, a 43-year-old staying at the convention evacuees continued to Chiappero said of govern- people, 10 dogs and two
school teacher, recalled center and sleeping on stream out of the cruise ment officials’ recovery cats were picked up by the
telling her young son after cots because they could ship docked alongside plans for the island. “They U.S. Coast Guard in St. John
they arrived in Puerto Rico. not afford a hotel. She said the historic part of Puerto say that, but I don’t know.” and taken to St. Thomas,
She explained that he she left the British territory Rico’s capital, anxious to Other families made similar where they boarded the
would live with his aunt because basic supplies reconnect with family and plans. cruise ship that brought
in Orlando, and that she were running low. friends. Alexandra Carmona, 34, them to San Juan.
didn’t know yet when “I was worried that the chil- Sinead Burkett, a 26-year- has lived in St. Thomas for “I’m going to decom-
they would be reunited dren weren’t eating,” she old property manager the past 15 years with her press,” she said. “I want to
because it’s unclear how said, tears streaming her who lives in Atlanta, wiped family and children but go back, but now is not the
long reconstruction efforts face as she spoke of hav- away tears as she waited planned to send them to time.” q

Hurricane Max hits southern Mexico near Acapulco

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hur- tanejo and Punta Mal- was heading toward the some branches on the Los Cabos at the peninsu-
ricane Max hit Mexico’s donado.The center said east at 8 mph (13 kph), the city’s coastal boulevard. la’s southern tip.
southern Pacific coast as Max should weaken as it hurricane center reported. Also Thursday, Tropical The storm had winds of 45
a Category 1 storm Thurs- moves over land but could The area where Max is Storm Norma formed far- mph (75 kph) and was mov-
day and was expected to bring “life-threatening flash making landfall is a sparse- ther out to the west in the ing north at 6 mph (9 kph).
move inland into Guerrero floods and rainfall” to Guer- ly populated area dotted Pacific and was expected On that track Norma could
state, a region that includes rero and Oaxaca states. with fishing villages. to strengthen and head be at hurricane strength
the resort city of Acapulco. Max had maximum sus- Acapulco, about 30 miles toward the resort-studded near Los Cabos by Sunday
The U.S. National Hurricane tained winds of 80 mph (130 (60 kilometers) from where Baja California Peninsula. or Monday.Los Cabos was
Center issued a hurricane kph), was located about 55 the hurricane made land- Norma was located about hit by Tropical Storm Lidia in
warning for Max for the miles (90 kilometers) east- fall, was hit by strong winds 360 miles (580 kilometers) early September, causing
coastline between Zihua- southeast of Acapulco and and rain that blew down south of the twin resorts of at least five deaths.q