The past month has seen a frightening wave of hurricanes wrecking havoc in the Atlantic Ocean. This has had all of America talking; right now specifically about hurricane Maria and how it is impacting Puerto Rico. Now a couple of North High students are sharing their thoughts on the recent events and current state of Puerto Rico.

In the last couple of weeks, Puerto Rico was destroyed by two hurricanes; Maria and Irma. After the damage was done, Puerto Rico was left struggling. Many people had little to no food, water, or shelter.

When asked about her feelings on seeing Puerto Rico struggling, junior Natalie Xiong said, “It breaks my heart. No one should have to live without [necessary] supplies.”

Sophomore Emma Palm shared her thoughts on the topic, “It makes me really sad to see that the U.S. isn’t doing much to help. Also, I have heard some of the things Donald Trump has said about Puerto Rico, and I think their mayor is not wrong for calling out for help.”

In tough times it is essential for everyone to come together and support each other in order to move forward. Just days ago, the San Juan mayor pleaded for help; especially from the U.S.

“Everyone should feel the need to help others who can’t help themselves. When we have so much and they have so little, the least we could do is offer some help to those who need it,” Palm stated. Xiong agreed saying, “People must get through everything together. Without help you’re hopeless. Any little thing helps.”

So how can Americans, including students like us, help? “Donating to charities that are going to help Puerto Rico, sending water, food, money, etcetera,” Palm suggested. There are plenty of ways to get involved, all it takes is a simple google search of charities and organizations to get you started.

There has also been some talk of Puerto Rican citizens moving to the United States after losing so much at home. “I think it would be great for them and us. Living in the United States, I love knowing about the other cultures all around us,” Xiong said with a positive perspective.

“I think Americans should embrace the Puerto Ricans with open arms. Since they are part of the U.S. and they have literally nothing, people should be pouring out with help,” Palm added.

Since the hurricanes hit, people and communities in Puerto Rico have been coming together to help each other out of this tough time. “It’s amazing that people together can help each other in desperate times,” Xiong said. Uniting to fight for the common cause of recovery will hopefully help get Puerto Rico back on it’s feet.

There are many things to learn from this situation; from the way Puerto Rico is handling it, to the hurricanes themselves. A common question people have after disasters like this is “What can we do to prevent it from happening again?”

Palm and Xiong seem to be in the same mindset with their answers. “By realizing global warming is real, and with new technologies, it will lead us to protect ourselves and one another,” Xiong said.

Palm agreed answering, “Address climate change and how it will impact places like these. We need to start helping out our environment instead of hurting it.”