Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast, Photos Courtesy of Kelene Jusino
The first thing Kelene Jusino thought about as water creeped into her house on Sunday night was her unborn daughter.
At seven-months pregnant, the 29-year-old, who lives with her husband in Salinas, on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, was used to preparing for hurricane season—especially since the island has still not fully recovered from devastating Hurricane Maria five years ago. But Jusino told The Daily Beast that she had finally gotten everything ready ahead of her November due date and was overwhelmed by the possibility of losing their home and belongings to Hurricane Fiona.
“My husband and I were inside of the home when it happened. It started off as just water coming into the house, and my husband was trying to empty it with a bucket to try to stop it from taking over,” Jusino told The Daily Beast on Wednesday via text message, noting that she is still unable to make calls because of the spotty cell service and minimal power on the island. “He then went outside to try to stop it from coming in. When he came inside, that is when the mudslide happened—right where he was standing previously.”