Puerto Rican evacuees missing home but grateful to be in CT
<p>Gilberto Torres and Rebecca Ruiz fled their home in Arecibo with their two teenage children after struggling for weeks with little food and water following Hurricane Maria.</p>
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Dec 29, 2017, 7:51 PM
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Updated 2,548 days ago
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Gilberto Torres and Rebecca Ruiz fled their home in Arecibo with their two teenage children after struggling for weeks with little food and water following Hurricane Maria.
They are among hundreds of Puerto Rican families who sought shelter in Bridgeport after Maria ravaged their homes and destroyed the island's infrastructure.
Torres' sister Sonia Diaz helped them relocate to Bridgeport, where they spent Christmas without a tree but say they are grateful nonetheless.
Still, they miss their home and their friends.
"This is the best time of the year in Puerto Rico," Torres says. "Everybody celebrates together as one."
This year is much different, Torres says, gesturing toward Ruiz.
"The only good thing I have from Puerto Rico is her and my kids," he says.
But, facing the devastation of Maria, they say they have their doubts about whether things will be back to normal in Puerto Rico by next Christmas.
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