My Family’s Escape from Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria (and Financial Lessons Learned)

David moved his family to Puerto Rico about three years ago and within six weeks of arriving they experienced something that completely changed their lives.

It’s been three years since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, but there are still residents with significant damage to their house.

When deciding to move his family to Puerto Rico, the idea of a hurricane wasn’t even a concern since the last major hurricane to hit the island had happened in 1928. Unfortunately for David and his family, Hurricane Maria turned out to be a category 5 direct hit.

While the damage to the house was significant, the damage and destruction of the surrounding rainforest was tragic. With resources running low once the storm had passed, the McKnight family was forced to evacuate.

David had to drive around for an hour in order to find a place with a strong enough cell phone signal so he could call and reserve plane tickets for him and his family. David’s family was able to board and evacuate safely but his own reservation was canceled and he had to scramble to reserve another flight.

All lines of communication were down for several days but against all odds David’s friend Brian was able to secure a ticket.

Puerto Rico struggled for months after the storm to restore electricity and lines of communication while rebuilding the damaged infrastructure, with many areas still suffering the effects of the hurricane three years later.

Prepare for the storms of life no matter what form they take, preferably before the storm is about to hit.

Not every experience has a financial lesson, but Hurricane Maria taught David something very valuable, namely cataclysmic events happen when you are least expecting them. Take some time now to prepare for the contingencies that life can throw your way because there is always something unexpected in your future..

The story ends well with David and his family moving back into their house in Wisconsin that hadn’t sold yet. His kids were able to complete their school year in their old neighbourhood and they were able to move back to Puerto Rico over the summer once the situation had mostly returned to normal.

If you like warm weather, good people, and big tax benefits, Puerto Rico is a place you should consider moving to.