Imagine the world around you changes in a blink of an eye. The village you grew up in suddenly becomes barren like a ghost town. The country you live in turns unrecognizable.

That's exactly what happened when category 5 Hurricane Maria struck the nature isle of the Caribbean, Dominica (no, not the Dominican Republic) with 165 mph wind and gusts. This devastating storm not only left 31 people dead and 37 persons missing, but it also damaged or destroyed more than 90% of Dominica's housing, After knocking Dominica off its feet, Hurricane Maria continued to wreak havoc on other Caribbean islands, like Puerto Rico.

After surviving this natural disaster, I realized that there are three life lessons I learned:

1) Always be prepared for the worst

One of the reasons that Hurricane Maria was so devastating was 1. because of the strength of the storm and 2. because of its unpredictability. The night before Maria hit, I was casually talking to my friends and watching tv not knowing that my life would drastically change the very next day. That day Maria had just become a category 1 hurricane and local weather forecasters were estimating the storm to be only a category 3 by the time it passed the island. Even when I woke up the next day (the day of the storm, 18th September), it had only become a category 2. No one had expected it would become a category 5 in less than 12 hours. Hence, due to the unpredictability of the storm, many locals underestimated the storm and were underprepared for its impact.

If I were to ever be in the path of another hurricane (I sure do hope not), whether it be a category 1 or 5, I will most definitely prepare for the worst and for any avoidable devastation.

2) Disasters bring out the best… and the worst in people

For the days that followed the storm, people reacted in many ways. Some started helping others fix their homes or offer shelter to those left with nowhere to stay. While others handled the stress and helplessness of the situation quite differently and started looting grocery stores and other shops. Similar types of reactions happen after every disaster, whether it be manmade or natural, it's just human nature.

3) Family is everything

Most of my recollection of what occurred during the weeks that followed the hurricane is quite blurry, as my mind seemed to push back all the awful memories. I realized the value of my loved ones. Nothing else mattered during the hurricane. All my personal belongings and other material goods we're immaterial. What mattered was the safety of my family- my parents and my dog.

Hurricane Maria was a life changer for me and I am still feeling the impact of the storm to this day. Living through the disaster, I was able to learn valuable life lessons.