Being Homeless

At the Brink of Being Homeless Most of my childhood memories were gazed down on a rocky road. I lived in a semi-concrete home that was surrounded by the sounds of roosters crowing and the sound of an old tractor’s engine. My family was not wealthy, but when we had each other we had everything. Life as it was on a ranch would be the best memories that were made. As a child, I was at my happiest even if we had so little. The year of 2002 on the month of December, Guam was bracing for a super typhoon that was going to hit the island on December 8. A couple of days before the typhoon was scheduled to hit the island, my family tried their best to prepare for the worst. They had secured the animals in a concrete-wood shelter. Everything that was

On our way to the shelter, I could hear the wind blowing; almost like a loud whistling sound. There was so much rain that it flooded the streets, the car ride felt like the longest car ride I have ever experienced. I fell asleep during the car ride to the shelter. One early morning, I distinctly remembered waking up on a hard desk. I got up and I examined around noting it was a classroom. Families were all taking shelter in a public school. The odor of sweat and a mucky environment due to the flood made me feel desolate. I missed home for the first time in my

More than half of the island suffered economic damage. Hundreds of islands residents were left homeless. My family and I were slowly building our life back together again. There were many agencies that were helping families in need such as American Red Cross and FEMA. Our family luckily received help from American Red Cross. They had provided food, shelter, and a little funds during the meantime until we were able to get back on our feet. Our family resided in a white tent that ARC had provided us. We stayed in the tent for approximately two months with no power or water. Living in that condition for two whole months was tough; although we