From Brooklyn to Puerto Rico and Back

One of the first things Karen Caraballo noticed from the window of her plane is how colorless Puerto Rico looked, as if it's a war zone.

"There is no green, everything looks gray, and dark, and dirty," she said. 

On Saturday, Caraballo, who lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to see her family and bring along much-needed supplies like food, batteries, and solar-powered lamps. She's been staying with her family, including her sister and two young nephews, in Toa Alta, which still has no electricity or running water. 

In the five days she's been there, Caraballo said she hasn't seen any aid distribution in Toa Alta. Her family has been spending the days helping with cleanup, like picking up stray tree limbs and garbage in the streets. For fun, they play games and walk around the neighborhood. At night, it's dark, and noisy, because of the generators.

Damage from Hurricane Maria in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico.

(Courtesy Karen Caraballo)

Her nephews, 5 and 14, are eager to come back to New York with her. But their mom, a principal, is staying on the island to get the school where she works back up and running for the students.

When Caraballo gets back to Bay Ridge, she said she'll continue sending things like food and solar lamps to her family. "We have to take this into our hands, because what the government is doing is not enough," she said, "and it's not reaching everyone in Puerto Rico," she said.