Puerto Rico's libraries, archives and museums road to recovery: A timeline of events after Hurricane Maria Main Menu Content Table of contents Introduction Introduction to the timeline Acknowledgments Time to say thank you About the Authors A little bit about the contributors Timeline Content for the months of September 2017 through September 2018 Interviews Interviews with libraries, archives and museum professionals about the impact of hurricane Maria at their institutions Contribute Contribute to the timeline

September 2017

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On September 2017, Puerto Rico, and many other Islands in the Caribbean, were affected by two hurricanes in less than three weeks. What one didn't destroy, the other brought it down to pieces. Because of our strategic location, yearly we are under threat. Libraries, archives and museums usually have emergency preparedness plans and protocols to protect property. Things are moved away from windows, boxes are lifted from floors and plastic sheets covered weak spots. Unfortunately, our methods were not as successful as before as the extent of damages were beyond our control.

According to the literature, you have 48 hours to rescue under-threat materials (or at least make a decision) before mold starts appearing, ink begins to dissolve and coated paper starts to stick together like a rock. Even if we wanted to, the depth of destruction impeded people to move out of their houses. Roads were flooded or covered with debris, bridges were gone and no method for communication existed as the electrical grid, towers and optical fiber were completely destroyed.

The World knew more about our state than us and in those last two weeks of September it came together to our aid.

 

This page has paths:

  1. Puerto Rico's libraries, archives and museums road to recovery: A timeline of events after Hurricane Maria Hilda Teresa Ayala-González

Contents of this tag:

  1. ALA Disaster Relief Fund to support Caribbean islands, Mexico, Puerto Rico, library rebuilding efforts
  2. Hurricane Irma GOES16 ABI visible 2017/09/06
  3. "En buen estado las colecciones de arte del país"
  4. NOAA GOES-16 Satellite captured Hurricane Maria making landfall on Puerto Rico on the morning of September 20th
  5. Hurricane Maria over Puerto Rico
  6. Hurricane Maria Lashes Puerto Rico