Plight of loved ones, including children unaccounted for in Puerto Rico, hits home for my wife & her close-knit family members here in Central Florida

By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer
Column: People, Places & Things

SANFORD, Fla. -- My wife, Sera King-Frederick, is a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, who was raised in Aguada, both communiities on the western side of the island.

She and other family members here in Sanford, Lake Mary and Orlando, have had very little contact with literally dozens of loved ones on the island, many of them forced to feek shelter, their homes reduced to rubble.

Even worse, my wife and her family members here in Central Florida, are becoming panic-stricken as to the plight of other loved ones (including several children), where no contact has been made at all in Maria's wake a full seven days.

The body count on the island continues to rise, especially in the mountainous interior regions that remain impassable, even with relief aid from the US that has started to trickle in. 

"All we can coninue to do is pray and remain vigilant in trying to make contact," my wife said to me. 

I don't want to get into specifics and cause even more panic among my wife's family members here. It is the unknown that is terrifying, especially with the scarciy of food, water, medicine and fuel. even for those whjo have found temporary shelter from the oppessive hea with no elecrivity. The hea index on Tuesday was 109 degrees.

Suffice to say, my wife and I hae goten very little leep in the past week, amid our hectic schedules.