Climate Chronicles Podcast | Season 2, Episode 5
Edited transcript
Introduction
Host:
Where do we find safety when extreme weather invades our homes?
Today, on Climate Chronicles, Rosa from Puerto Rico shares her experience during Hurricane Sandy in
New York City. Sitting by her window with a cup of coffee, she kept her pet birds calm as the storm raged outside.
Rosa’s journey captures the quiet power of love to anchor us through the fiercest storms.
Let’s listen to Rosa’s story.
Rosa’s Story
Rosa:
Fear during Hurricane Sandy was not just an emotion that took over me. It was a reality that had invaded my safe sanctuary.
Our homes are supposed to keep us safe. As a parent, we too are supposed to keep our families safe, including our beloved pets.
So what happens when your territory is invaded? What do you do?
As the storm took over the city of New York and other cities, the wind let her presence be known. It made a loud hissing sound while the long, bent-over branches whipped the fire escape of my third-floor window.
Fear began to creep in. The rain poured hard. Some even dripped by the sides of the walls from my zinc-metal-covered, old-fashioned ceiling, just like the roof of my grandma’s house in Puerto Rico.
When the storms hit hard, you would hear that hard pounding sound like drums or the beat of a heart, not stopping.
I was a little cold. A chilly draft filled the air in the house. A hot cup of coffee warmed my senses. It kept me alert, yet calm, bringing me back comfort with my beautiful yet petrified little cockatiels.
My son Chris is usually home, yet today, and out of all days, he was not. How ironic, huh? When I needed him the most, he wasn’t there.
My birds were there, yet he was not. I was really upset and a little scared.
I thought to myself, “I’ll be okay.” Even though I live near the water and on the third floor, it should keep me safe somewhat if flooding occurs.
I still remember closely the fear, also my birds shaking from side to side in their cage, anticipating the storm.
Animals are aware of danger more than we are. I wanted to hold them closely as a mother does to protect her children.
I was not going to leave them alone, as we were told on TV to find shelter elsewhere.
I was technically their mother, and only I could protect them and keep them calm.
As I spoke to them gently and covered their cage with a little blanket, I felt them near, and myself also less scared.
I remembered briefly as a child, my mom also would try to protect my sister Anna and I by putting us under her wings, as I was doing with the birds.
She would actually hide us under the kitchen table till the thunderstorms were over.
Fear is just a word until we feed it power and more fear.
During the storm, I made sure all the lights were on. I had candles nearby just in case.
As long as they saw me or heard me, they were okay, and they would quietly fall asleep and relax.
They knew they were not alone, as I knew also I was not.
I kept us all in prayer, including my neighbors, that the storm would pass soon.
Prayer can do wonders when you really believe.
Sometimes we need to go through the storms in life to make us more resilient and make us aware of how precious our families can be.
Even my birds became my immediate family.
Many parts of the world, hurricane storms can cause a lot of damage and loss to many people.
Some are lucky and can rebuild with the help of community and nearby resources. Others cannot because of lack of funds or poverty, language barriers.
That is why education and prevention are important.
I think to myself how simple a moment in time can be. Family is closer than you think.
I thought I was staying home to protect my terrified birds and keeping them safe, yet little did I know that they were protecting me from the fear of the storm.
This is the power of strength, courage, and resilience, but mostly, true love.
Closing
Host:
Thank you so much for listening. We hope these stories inspire you, just as they inspired us.
This podcast is part of a project created by New Women New Yorkers and was made possible thanks to the financial support of Con Edison.
We are deeply grateful for their belief in the power of immigrant women’s stories and for helping us uplift their voices and dreams.