BROOKLYN COLLEGE — When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September, Marlene Gomez, 31, said she contemplated taking a plane to the storm-ravaged island to help her grandmother.
“I was so desperate I was thinking maybe I need to be out there,” said Gomez, whose 71-year-old grandmother suffers from a chronic lung condition. “I want to be able to put my all into my classes, but it’s kind of hard when my mind is distracted, and thinking well what’s going on? I haven’t heard from my family. Are they okay? Are they alive?”
