President Joe Biden declared the effects of Hurricane Fiona a “major disaster” this morning while military officials in Puerto Rico employ their search and rescue personnel, according to THE WHITE HOUSE.

“The most critical thing in any natural disaster is the adequacy of the response from the government,” history teacher Lauren O’Donnell said. “If Puerto Rico regains power and stability soon, moving forward from there will be a lot easier for them,”

Most citizens of Puerto Rico are in the midst of recovering from the hit last night — one million homes was torn apart and the power grid remains inaccessible, so it may be days before power is restored, according to PBS News Hour. A shelter in place order was then set in place when multiple were reported missing.

“Especially without power, trying to ensure the safety of their families will be difficult,” sophomore Annika Carpenter said. “Worrying about the stability of their homes, all while worrying about the safety of their loved ones must put them under an immense amount of stress,” 

Although Convent students are not directly affected by this hurricane, we have seen the effects that hurricanes have had on people’s lives before, according to freshman Ella Patzer.  

“We have seen the effects of hurricanes before, but it never gets easier to comprehend the situation,” Patzer said. “I can only imagine the hardships that people are being forced to endure.”

Since Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, it has access to multiple natural disaster resources, especially extensive infrastructure resources, according to O’Donnell.

“Puerto Rico has gotten the assistance that they needed to recover from natural disasters before,” O’Donnell said. “It will still be a long process, but using the provided resources will aid their immediate needs.”