From My Friend in Puerto Rico...

My heart goes out to our friends who just can't seem to get a break. First Hurricane Maria and then a huge Earthquake.

This was Margarita's response when I wrote her today, "We are all well. I got electricity back. But it was a terrible and frightening experience (and there are still many less intense and length movements). The yesterday earthquake (at 4:32 am and a big repeat at 7am) were awfully scary. There has been a lot of damage to some towns at the southwest  part of the island (our town of Ponce is also southern). There are some damaged houses at Ponce but there is not general devastation. My house is made of reinforced concrete and even that it shaked a lot, I have not found cracks on the walls. Many picture frames fell down, doors were opened, paintings slided a little on the walls, my only lost was a small Cuba souvenir doll that fell and broke! But at Guánica (a small town where USA entered when we were invaded in 1898) many people lost their houses (the epicenter of the earthquake was there).

We had been experiencing small movements since December 28 so I had prepared a space between my bed and the wall where I put battery radio, fan, and lantern, water bottles, a whistle, a backpack with documents, etc, and a few pillows. So when I woke up with the earthquake I jumped in the space and covered myself with pillows. I stayed there for 5 hours until the movements were more sparse and faint. (I did not know at that time if my house would resist the magnitude). It is shaking at this very moment while I’m writing, I'm getting used to it... Well, now you know! I’m okay. Thank you for caring!"
A few hours later, Margarita wrote, "I have been very fortunate but listening to radio now I learned that there are more than a thousand people refugees at different places (in Ponce) because they are afraid to go home because they think (or know) their houses are not safe, most of Ponce is without power. I thought the power problem had been solved but I’m just lucky. I heard that people are losing their refrigerated food."

I'm hoping for the best for all there. We loved Puerto Rico and its people when were there two years ago. We witnessed their resilience after the hurricane.  Ser fuerte mi amiga!

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