Philadelphia-area resident from Puerto Rico worries for family after Hurricane Ernesto hits island
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A New Jersey resident who was raised in Puerto Rico is worried about her loved ones on the island after Hurricane Ernesto knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people.
Behind Wanda Mora's smile is the concern for her family, who are now hunkering down after Ernesto pummeled the island with heavy rain, strong winds and significant flooding.
"My thoughts are always with my people in Puerto Rico," she said.
Mora said she's in constant communication with her family and they update her with videos showing the storm's impact.
"Torrential rains. There's flooding everywhere. There's debris everywhere. It's definitely a full-fledged storm," she said.
Ernesto, which was a tropical storm when it moved over Puerto Rico, slammed the Caribbean island with five to 10 inches of rain and gusty winds that knocked out power to at least 700,000 people.
Watching from thousands of miles away, Mora can only hope and pray for their safety.
"It's very hard," she said. "It's difficult."
For Mora, it also brings back painful memories.
She said her dad was killed in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria in 2017.
"It's like PTSD. [Ernesto] takes you back to Hurricane Maria," she said. "My father went missing for two weeks. We didn't know where he was for two weeks. And here, he was dead in an ambulance."
No injuries have been reported so far with Ernesto, and the storm is now moving away from the island.
Mora is hopeful Puerto Rico will recover quickly.
"The people of Puerto Rico are so resilient … they are not waiting on agencies to come and give them a hand," she said. "They take matters into their own hands. Neighbors help neighbors."
President Biden has signed an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, which will allow FEMA to help with storm recovery.