Two weeks after category 5 Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria swept in on September 20, 2017, and devastated the island—my home. Floods, landslides and intense winds destroyed houses, toppled trees, wiped out critical infrastructure and killed over 4,600 people. I was one of the lucky ones. There were days when my family and I hauled gallons of water from the river and washed our clothes with washing boards. Without electricity, watching the night sky in complete darkness and talking for hours became evening activities. But amid the tragedy and chaos, the Puerto Rican people lifted our communities up, cleared away the debris and delivered supplies to hard-hit areas.
I thought about how the hurricanes impacted the island’s endangered species such as the Puerto Rican parrot—one of the most critically endangered birds in the world with only about 180 in the wild before the hurricanes struck. The parrot is dependent on El Yunque National Forest in eastern Puerto Rico—the only tropical rainforest in the U. S. National Forest System.
El Yunque National Forest and the Puerto Rican Parrot: A Story of Peril and Perseverance
I thought about how the hurricanes impacted the island’s endangered species such as the Puerto Rican parrot—one of the most critically endangered birds in the world with only about 180 in the wild before the hurricanes struck. The parrot is dependent on El Yunque National Forest in eastern Puerto Rico—the only tropical rainforest in the U. S. National Forest System.
El Yunque National Forest and the Puerto Rican Parrot: A Story of Peril and Perseverance