‘So many blessings’
Family finds warm welcome
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Jose Cosme listens to all kinds of stories as he cuts hair at the Broad Avenue Barber Shop, and his own story is one of both loss and abundant blessings that could make the hairs on the back of his clients' necks stand on end.
When his clients notice he's translating his thoughts from Spanish to English before he speaks, they ask where he is from and what brought him to Altoona.
Jose, his wife and their children left Puerto Rico a month after the U.S. territory was torn apart by Hurricane Maria Sept. 20, and they say they have been warmly welcomed by people in Altoona since the day they quietly arrived on Oct 23.
Jose's clients first react with a sad "Oh" and then a heartfelt, "Do you need something?" and Jose smiles and says "No, I am fine."
"Everyone is trying to help. That's why I'm feeling I need to give back what I get here. I want to work. I want to live here, and I want to make it here," he said.
Jose, 40, and his wife, Yahaira (pronounced Ya-hi-duh) Negron, and their two young daughters lived in Aguada, on the west side of the island for their entire lives.
The Sept. 20 storm was the worst in Puerto Rico's history. Electricity was restored to the family's former home in Puerto Rico only a week and a half ago, Jose said.
Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from storm that killed dozens of people and caused up to an estimated $95 billion in damage during a 12-hour rampage across the island with winds of up to 154 mph.
After the hurricane, Jose and his neighbors woke up to find trees and utility poles blocking their roads.
"Nobody could leave their house. There was no telephone communication at all. The biggest fear was of the unknown. What is coming? What is happening? Are your families OK? Then we started to work," he said.
People who had trucks, chainsaws and excavators began to clear the roads outside their homes.
It took two days for Jose to travel to his mother-in-law's home in the same town to see if she was all right.
The main road in town was cleared in about a week. Even the children helped.
Gasoline scarce
For a month, the family had been living on canned food and bread. "A lot of bread," Yahaira said.
Luckily they didn't have to storm the grocery stores to vie for the finite supply of bottled water because Jose could drive to a family member's well every other day for water.
The line for gasoline was unimaginable, he said. There was no school for their daughters and no way to work.
According to The Associated Press, power generation in Puerto Rico is currently 69 percent recovered, and 5 percent of utility customers still don't have water service. Nearly 600 people remain in shelters, and more than 130,000 have left for the U.S. mainland.
Every day Jose and Yahaira communicate with their parents and siblings in Puerto Rico.
"They just got electricity back. It's easier for us to get in touch with them. Seeing the news in Altoona and knowing nothing about your family was the worst part," Jose said.
Yahaira said their neighbors by the river lost everything -- cars, personal items, "every single thing."
"In other towns, people died. Even there in the center of the island, there is no water, no energy now, right now. As far as I know, no one is dead in our town," she said.
Moving to the mainland was a discussion between Jose and Yahaira prior to the hurricane. They wanted more opportunities for their girls, Anhayra, 4, and Itzabella, 6. They enrolled them in private school in Puerto Rico so that they could learn English. Currently they are doing well in the Altoona Area School District.
"Not that we didn't have a good life in Puerto Rico. But we wanted more chances for our children," Yahaira said.
The girls are bilingual already, speaking to Yahaira in English at the Clay Cup in downtown Altoona where they painted butterfly pottery while their parents spoke to the Mirror reporter.
"After the hurricane, it pushed us to make a decision," Yahaira said.
She said it was difficult to leave, especially for Jose, who said he never thought he would leave the island.
"We were established. We had our home. Our daughters had their school," Yahaira said.
Coming to Pennsylvania
Why Altoona? Yahaira said her brother had moved from Puerto Rico to Altoona almost 12 years ago. The family currently lives with him as they look for their own housing.
"My brother has always wanted me to come here," she said. "But we were comfortable where we were. Then, with the hurricane, we had nothing to lose."
Immediately, they were welcomed by the Altoona community.
"We thought the transition would be harder. People here are amazing. They are always helping. We have received so many blessings," she said.
Neighbors led Jose to a job opening at Broad Avenue Barber Shop days after he moved to Altoona. And shop owner Ellen Forshey waited three weeks for Jose to acquire the proper licensing in Pennsylvania.
"Jose came looking for a job due to the weather disaster," Forshey said. "Jose is an excellent barber with over 20 years experience. We are beyond excited to have him."
As Jose and Yahaira reinvent themselves in Altoona, their hearts are with people in Puerto Rico.
"It was not as bad for us. We were thinking about the girls when we moved," Yahaira said. "A lot of people are in worse situations than us. We made a decision in a hard time to move. Many lost everything. We were so blessed. Even though it was hard for us, at the same time, we got a new chance. A lot of people stayed behind, who suffer, and are still suffering."
An international independent nonprofit human rights group, Refugees International, issued a scathing report last week on the U.S. response in Puerto Rico to Hurricane Maria. The group said "poor coordination and logistics on the ground" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Puerto Rican government "seriously undermined the effectiveness of the aid delivery process."
Comparing it with past natural disasters, such as the 2010 Haitian earthquake, the group found the U.S. response lacking. In Haiti, the group says 8,000 U.S. troops were deployed to the island within two days of the disaster. In Puerto Rico, it took 10 days for 4,500 U.S. troops to arrive.
Housing is urgently needed for tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans who lack power and a regular source of safe water nearly three months after Hurricane Maria damaged their homes, Refugees International said in its report. The group said the United States Congress "must generously support emergency response and recovery efforts, including for housing assistance (especially for the most vulnerable households) and efforts to build resilience to future disasters."
Jose is hopeful for the future of Puerto Rico.
"I know Puerto Rico is going to be all right. It is going to take a long time, but they will get back on their feet," he said.
Saturday marked two months since Jose, Yahaira and their daughters arrived in Altoona.
"We have no regrets," Yahaira said.
The family repeatedly stressed how thankful they are to their neighbors and the Altoona community that has been taking care of them.
"I want to give back for the town and the people here," Jose said. "We need to give it back."
Mirror Staff Writer Russ O'Reilly is at 946-7435.