Iris Escobar and Denise Amaro talk about their experiences over the last two years after fleeing Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Following Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact on Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, many people from the island left their destroyed homes, towns with no electricity or water, and closed schools, to seek some kind of normalcy in the United States with their families.
Several dozen families came to Westfield, finding temporary housing at the Quality Inn. Two years later, about a dozen families have remained here, said Westfield resident Pedro J. Rivera Moran, director of Catholic Latino Ministry for the Diocese of Springfield, and his wife Aixa Rivera, district interpreter at the Westfield Public Schools for the past 25 years.
The Riveras and two of the women, Denise Amaro and Iris Escobar, sat down recently to talk about escaping the hurricane, leaving everything behind and starting over in Westfield.
Amaro initially didn’t think about coming to the U.S. She said the building they lived in did not suffer too much damage, but the main power went out and all around was debris from the storm. Her town, Yabucoa, is where the storm came on the island, and was one of the last towns to get running water back, and didn’t recover power for 10 months. The bridges also were down at first, cutting them off from the rest of the island.
Her sister-in-law had insisted Amaro come to Westfield with her two children. She said when they arrived in the hotel in early December, there were 25 to 30 families who had left Puerto Rico because of the hurricane.
Amaro spoke no English, had never seen snow, never been on an airplane, and had never left Puerto Rico.
“I love Westfield,” she said. She said living here, she has done many things she’s never done before, like taking English classes.
Iris Escobar came to Westfield on Oct 10, soon after the storm, with her three children. Their home was destroyed by flooding, and she lost everything in the hurricane.
Escobar arrived in Westfield, where her mother’s cousin lives, with nothing but $150. In two weeks, her family was able to get an apartment, thanks to “the greatness of God and many angels,” she said.
“I love it,” Escobar said about Westfield. She found a job at Walmart, where she is learning English on the job. She also didn’t speak English when she arrived.
Escobar thanked the angels of the Catholic Church in Westfield for helping them, “especially Yolanda Mendez,” both women said in unison. Mendez, from St. Mary’s Parish, spearheaded dinners twice a week for months at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament with the help of many volunteers, and helped get furniture and clothing for the families that arrived.
For Amaro, it took a little longer to get settled, taking them two months to get an apartment. Amaro said she tried to obtain her license as a Certified Nurses Assistant, but was unable to pass the test in English. She recently obtained her license as a nail technician, but it’s part-time.
“I’m trying other things, but I decided to study to be a nail technician, because in Massachusetts it is possible to take the test in Spanish,” Amaro said.
Both women enrolled their children in Westfield Public Schools when they arrived.
Amaro’s son Nataniel, who attends Westfield Technical Academy started in the English Language Learner’s (ELL) program, and is now in the transition program, and doing well. Her other child is at Westfield Middle School.
Escobar’s three children are in Westfield High School, WMS and Head Start. Her oldest, Irelis, has mastered English, she said and has been helping her mother out, but Escobar said she is developing independence from her daughter.
One of Escobar’s biggest issues when they arrived was not having transportation. She said it was difficult to go to the store, errands, and to appointments. It was not only cold, but they couldn’t get around.
During one major storm, the bus transportation was out. Escobar said she walked from the Powder Mill apartments to Wal-Mart a few times. She said it takes 45 minutes to walk there, and 8 minutes by car. She was happy to report that she just got a Toyota. Amaro has one, too.
While both women are grateful, the transition has not been easy.
Amaro said when she first moved here, she was pleased and happy with all of the support. Over time, it dwindled: Her sister-in-law moved. Her father stayed behind in Puerto Rico, and she has not seen him for two years, she said.
Amaro said she left her home, her community, and the job she had for six years. “I left everything to come here.”
She said she is making an effort, step by step, but has been hit hard with all the changes as the support dwindles. “It’s not timely, it stops a little too soon. I’m not yet on my feet,” she said, adding that starting all over again is harder for some than for others.
Escobar agreed that the transition has been difficult. She thought about going home, but her job at Walmart is 40 hours a week, sometimes 30. Back home, she could only get 20 hours a week.
The unemployment rate in Puerto Rico is high, and the government there is still struggling, said Pedro Rivera Moran. He’s been back there several times since the hurricane to visit his father, who lives in a Soldier’s Home. His most recent visit was this past summer.
“It’s still not where it needs to be. The power still goes on and off on a regular basis. The water too,” he said, but added, “I saw a lot of farms; banana, papaya, different vegetables, mango; agriculture is starting to come back.”
He said the progress has been too slow, and there has been a lot of conflict with the finances between the government corruption there and the lack of support from the United States.
But he said he can tell there’s been progress from the number of blue tarps he sees on rooftops as he flies into the island. “Every year they are reduced,” Rivera Moran said.
Amaro said she has been looking for more work in different places. She also applied to Wal-Mart, but had difficulty with the online application. Escobar said she had to call every day until she got a job there. She now works in the electronics department, and offered to take Amaro with her.
“It’s been a very good experience, very positive. I always put God in the process. I’m very happy here,” Escobar said.
For Amaro, she said it’s been one step at a time. “When things take time, that means they’re going to last. In God’s time, not ours,” she said, adding, “My family is healthy and spiritually sound. School is okay. It’s the first step forward in a new life.”
