Sanctuary for Marianela Mercado meant her backyard; a small clearing in the Puerto Rican rainforest hidden from view by dense jungle and tall palms.
Born and raised in the center of the mainland, she and her husband Kenneth had moved to the northern coastline to settle in a region called Vega Baja, famous for its beautiful beaches and rich, fertile plains. In this secluded spot, they would spend time relaxing, lounging in a hammock they’d strung between a couple of trees, or chatting at a small table and chairs covered by shade.
“It was this magical place, you know,” Marianela recalls. “That special corner to drink coffee or some wine when you want to relax. That’s what it was for us. It just had this unique vibe of being in the jungle, but at the same time you were home. It was our happy place.”
But in September 2017, that all changed. News was coming in that a Category 5 hurricane was about to hit the Caribbean. Known today as Hurricane Maria, what followed was one of the deadliest storms the region had ever seen, with Puerto Rico hit the hardest, accounting for 2,975 of the 3,095 recorded deaths.
