I like to think my family has been living in the Dominican Republic since Columbus. The bright side? It is a beautiful place to visit. Otherwise, people wouldn't go to Punta Cana whenever Spring Break hits. You know who you are. It is a place where music at 7:00AM is seen as normal. It is a place where your neighbor my engage in "Breaking and Entering" just to steal your coffee. The bad side? We are in the Caribbean. Especially in an area known as the hurricane belt. This is where things get sour.
What is the Hurricane Belt? Quite simple: It is an area in the Atlantic Ocean where tropical storms (also known as hurricanes) are very likely to hit. In other words? The Island of the Hispaniola is sometimes screwed. When the citizens feel like being smart, they listen to the warnings and evacuate. That takes a while though. You know how we are supposed to get survival kits when hurricanes happen? They usually have canned food, bottled water, flashlights, and other goods. Well, my people also has those, but just as last resorts. Our main survival kit is dominoes- the game. Not the pizza- candles with religious figures, and a bottle of Bacardi. Nevertheless, we always tried to survive. In terms of the Caribbean in general, the latest hurricane being a pain in the neck is Matthew.
According to a CNN article posted online, Hurricane Matthew has taken at least 276 lives so far in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Haiti suffered the most with "more than 271 people reported dead" while at least 1,580 homes been flooded. Other deaths include at least four people in the Dominican Republic and a teenage boy who died in a landslide in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. After leaving a disaster behind, you would think it would have stop. Nope. Because despite having clowns stabbing everyone, Matthew still made its way to Florida and therefore to the US.
According to the Newsday website, the hurricane came knocking out power for more than 800,000 people. With warnings still happening for southerner states like Georgia and South Carolina, it is kind of a bittersweet pleasure to inform that the hurricane has downgraded to a Category 3. By this point, we can understand how much of a tragedy this is becoming. Dear people where this is happening: be safe and have faith. The world is already enough of a bad place for us to crumble now. If you feel like it, make a filter saying "Pray For Haiti." Whatever you have to do to feel better and hang in there, do it.
