CANOVANAS, Puerto Rico — The sound of hammers, saws, and sifting rings in a cadence over the rainforest-covered hills of Canovanas.
- Puerto Rican family's dream of a new home came sooner than expected
- They had to rebuild after their old home was damaged by Hurricane Maria
- Despite the hard work, teen is grateful to have spent time with family
- FULL COVERAGE: Hurricane Maria and the aftermath
Almost two years after Hurricane Maria, Noel Andres Gonzalez's family is still rebuilding.
“Our house was blown away,” Gonzalez says. “Once we started, we haven’t stopped.”
They're working on a home they always wanted — but it's a home they had to begin working on sooner than planned.
“That was always the plan, but I never thought it would be like this,” Gonzalez says.
The shell of their old home overlooks the new house.
Gonzales, his older brother, parents and grandfather work away together.
“When the hurricane happened, a lot of people see it like a negative thing, and it really was, it was negative," Gonzalez said. "But when time passes and you reflect on what happened, you think, 'Wow, I have spent so much time with my family.' "
They are here almost every day. Unlike their old wooden home, the new house is mostly cement.
Even at just 16 years old, Gonzalez sees the big picture of Maria.
“There are things in our life that come hard, but we should never quit,” he said. “Puerto Rico is small, it’s a small spec of island. But it doesn’t mean that we are small in heart, and small in character.”
His family has been living up the road with his grandparents as they work on their new home. They hope they will be able to finish it by the end of the year.
“We haven’t stopped, and that doesn’t mean that we haven’t finished, and it doesn’t mean we are going to stop," Gonzalez says. "I think that is the vision, and that should be the vision of every Puerto Rican."
