September 27, 2017

When she lived in Puerto Rico, Montalvo made $15 an hour as a nurse. She got out in the early years of an economic crisis. The unemployment rate on the island is double the national average. The government is bankrupt. People leave every year by the tens of thousands.
Now she makes $36 an hour at a dialysis clinic in Connecticut. She needed to get back to her job, and she needed to get the grandchildren home to be registered at their new school, Walsh Elementary in Waterbury. Montalvo worries they will lose their seats if they are stuck in Puerto Rico for weeks.
Fifty yards down the terminal, Stephanie Navarro also wants to give her two young daughters a better life. They were supposed to move Tuesday to a relative's place in upstate New York, where Navarro believes she can find a better job and good schools.
Instead, they slept on the terminal floor, along with Navarro's boyfriend, Javier, waiting for the next Delta plane after their original flight was canceled.
"We're stuck here. There's no phone to call people, there's no water, there's no ice, there's no nothing," said Navarro, 26.
Doris Montalvo already escaped Puerto Rico once. She left the island and its economic problems seven years ago and found work as a nurse in Connecticut.
She recently returned for the first time for vacation, and now she can't get out -- trapped this time in an airport terminal in San Juan, one sweltering corner of the humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricane Maria.
Passengers in Puerto Rican airport have little water or food, no working ATMs and no idea when theyll leave

In 100-degree heat, with no air conditioning and a scarce security presence, Montalvo spent the night waiting with her daughter, three grandchildren and the daughter's boyfriend. Scores of others waited with them. They had little water, little food, no working ATMs and no idea when they would get out.
Montalvo, 54, had driven from the other side of the island because their flight there was canceled. She and her family were told that the first flight they could get out of San Juan would depart October 9. Hotels weren't taking reservations. She couldn't withdraw cash. Stress set in.
"We just want to get home and get back to our routines, our lives," Montalvo said. "I don't feel safe here. ... I don't want (my grandchildren) to sleep on the sidewalk."
One week after Maria battered the island, the more than 3 million Americans who live there are struggling to survive. People are scavenging for food, collecting water from mountain streams and drinking the rain. Power is out across the island. Generators and batteries are keeping hospitals open.
The San Juan airport, by far the largest on the island, is barely functioning. Airlines are having trouble printing boarding passes. TSA equipment was damaged by the hurricane, so security checks are done by hand.
Only 10 commercial flights made it in and out on Tuesday, and only 18 were expected on Wednesday, according to the airport authority.
More relief flights are getting in. Airlines are delivering food, water, medicine, blankets, cots, generators and blood for the Red Cross. Those relief flights are returning with as many people as can get on the plane, United says.

Passengers in Puerto Rican airport have little water or food, no working ATMs and no idea when theyll leave

When she lived in Puerto Rico, Montalvo made $15 an hour as a nurse. She got out in the early years of an economic crisis. The unemployment rate on the island is double the national average. The government is bankrupt. People leave every year by the tens of thousands.
Now she makes $36 an hour at a dialysis clinic in Connecticut. She needed to get back to her job, and she needed to get the grandchildren home to be registered at their new school, Walsh Elementary in Waterbury. Montalvo worries they will lose their seats if they are stuck in Puerto Rico for weeks.
Fifty yards down the terminal, Stephanie Navarro also wants to give her two young daughters a better life. They were supposed to move Tuesday to a relative's place in upstate New York, where Navarro believes she can find a better job and good schools.
Instead, they slept on the terminal floor, along with Navarro's boyfriend, Javier, waiting for the next Delta plane after their original flight was canceled.
"We're stuck here. There's no phone to call people, there's no water, there's no ice, there's no nothing," said Navarro, 26.
 Other travelers described their own nightmares.
Alicia Beniquez was traveling with her husband and her 3-year-old granddaughter. Before trying to fly home to New Haven, Connecticut, she tried to return her rental car to the company, U Save, with a full tank of gas.

"You go to the gas station and all you get is $10," Beniquez said. "I brought it back with a quarter tank and they want to charge you."
U Save did not respond to CNNMoney's request for comment. Beniquez slept at the airport Tuesday.
Standing in line, Eric Mott tried to bring order to chaos. He made a list of the names of the strangers waiting with him. He planned to give it to Southwest Airlines employees in the morning. He had three pages' worth already.
Mott, a real estate agent in Denver, wanted to make sure no one stole a place in line. People were sweating through the night, sleeping on steel chairs.
"I'm a firm believer that people want to do the right thing, but then when emotions get involved ... " Mott said, trailing off. "We're going to spend the night here tonight. I want it to be nice and orderly."
Surrounded by strangers at an airport that was barely operating, he had no plans to sleep.
"I haven't pulled an all-nighter since college," he said, "so I'm due for one."


Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.