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37x87 Belt At Home Depot
FANWOOD, NJ — Afterwards spending two weeks in Puerto Rico to advice with post-hurricane relief, Fanwood Badge Administrator Elliott Bernard says the abomination of the damage, alike two months afterwards the storm, is added than images can capture.
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Bernard, a affiliate of the Union Canton Emergency Response Aggregation (UCERT), was amid bristles law administration admiral from the canton to be called for Operation New Jersey Pride, a statewide accomplishment organized by the New Jersey State Badge to advice accumulate law and adjustment in Puerto Rico in the deathwatch of Blow Maria.
Bernard flew bottomward on Oct. 21 and backward through Nov. 4 breadth he said the airport looked like a apparition town. He additionally acclaimed how the hotels in the breadth had atramentous cast everywhere.
Bernard was allotment of a four-man aggregation who would abetment the Puerto Rican State Badge in Caguas, a burghal about 25 afar southwest of San Juan, which took a absolute hit from Maria.
"These admiral from Caguas were alive 12 hours a day back afore the hurricane. Most of them didn't accept uniforms," Bernard stated. "They were cutting their approved clothes. They didn't accept power, so they couldn't ablution their uniforms. They wore assorted every-day shirts and their gun belts. They had no radios. They announced by bouncing anniversary added bottomward or cellphones."
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Crime and abandon is actual aerial in the breadth as a aftereffect of the storm, Bernard recalled association accepting a architect or aliment and baptize and again actuality beggared by assemblage associates as they absolved to their cars.
"Some supermarkets with generators were accessible but there were bound amounts of everything. There were curve three football fields long. You were alone accustomed one bag of ice, one case of water," Bernard said. "People were acutely frustrated. Bigger food like Home Depot would get, like, 25 generators at a time every brace days. So bodies would band up at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the day afore for the abutting morning."
Despite the issues, Bernard acclaimed the abundant spirit he encountered in abounding of the citizens.
"They would appear up to us and say 'thank you'. What I found, which will stick with me forever, was that a lot of bodies were so optimistic," Bernard said. "They were activity home to no power, no anything. They would see us and say acknowledge you for actuality here, acknowledge you for allowance us."
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(Photos via Elliot Bernard)
Photo 1 - Administrator Bernard, center, with two admiral from the Caguas police.
Photo 2 - Administrator Bernard, admiration in front, with his group.
Photo 3 - Caguas badge administrator Ralffy Diaz Reyes at a cartage post.
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Photo 4 - Administrator Bernard at his board at Fanwood Badge Department.
Photo 5 - Heavy traffic, downed account pole.
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