Without Electricity for Eight Months: Marinelly Ayala’s Hurricane Story

June 26,2018

I was diagnosed with this condition a week before Hurricane Irma hit. After the scourge of the previous hurricane, Maria, I hadn’t yet begun to receive treatment. It was not easy to deal with the stress of a recent medical discovery along with an attack of this magnitude.

When Hurricane Irma hit, my storm shutters flew open. Water flooded my house. Strong winds damaged our cars. My garage door broke. Trees fell and blocked the streets. Zinc plates flew.

We were isolated for days.

On the fifth day, we managed to make our way to relatives’ houses in Corozal. The following day, I tried to get to my job in San Juan. The metropolitan area was destroyed. It was horrible!

I finally got a cellphone signal in Dorado and saw a message from Evelyn Crespo indicating Team Phenomenal Hope was providing special help for people with our condition. I emailed her, and she quickly called back and provided instructions on how to obtain it. In a few days, I received a grant from Team PH for $500.

This was a great relief because I wasn’t getting paid because of the hurricane. I bought food, gas, and milk for my daughter, among other things. I also purchased precious ice to keep her medications cold because she has chronic fatigue, and we did not have a generator.

We were without electricity until May, 12, 2018.

Thank you, Team PHenomenal Hope, for all of the help.

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