Derick Ortiz and Damara Navarro, both 17, grew up in northeastern Puerto Rico, about 25 miles from each other. But their lives began to head in different directions on the morning of September 20 of last year, when Puerto Rico was ravaged by one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean—Hurricane Maria.
In the small, coastal city of Fajardo, Derick, his mom, dad, and younger sister lived without running water and electricity for three weeks after the storm wiped out power and nearly all cell service to the entire island and damaged about a third of all Puerto Rican homes. Derick’s school and the hotel where both his parents worked were shut down.
Derick Ortiz and Damara Navarro, both 17, grew up in northeastern Puerto Rico, about 25 miles from each other. But their lives began to head in different directions on the morning of September 20 of last year. On that day, Puerto Rico was ravaged by one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean—Hurricane Maria.
Derick, his mom, dad, and younger sister lived in the small, coastal city of Fajardo. They didn’t have running water and electricity for three weeks after the storm. The hurricane had wiped out power and nearly all cell service to the entire island. About a third of all Puerto Rican homes were damaged. Derick’s school and the hotel where both his parents worked were shut down.