We stood in shock': what happens to a city after a disaster? A cartoon
On 20 September 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, a US territory that is home to 3.3 million people. Maria devastated the Caribbean island, causing more than $30bn in damage, and an initial death toll of 64 grew to an estimated figure of between 2,975 and 4,645. Many of the deaths happened during the aftermath from treatable chronic illnesses, because power outages prevented people from receiving routine medical care – but most of the media had left by November.
Dr Gemma Sou of the University of Manchester visited Puerto Rico five times during the first year after Maria to talk to families about their recovery. One of the results is After Maria, extracted here, a graphic novella about a fictional family in the neighbourhood of Ingenio that is based on common experiences Sou heard from Puerto Ricans across the island.
For a zoomable version of the page, click here
For a zoomable version of the page, click here
For a zoomable version of the page, click here
For a zoomable version of the page, click here
For a zoomable version of the page, click here
For a zoomable version of the page, click here
Dr Gemma Sou is a lecturer in disaster studies at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute of the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the everyday lives and experiences of people living with disaster risk. She is on Twitter at @gemmasou
John Cei Douglas is a freelance illustrator based in London with a particular interest in comics and self-publishing
To learn more about After Maria and to download the whole graphic novella for free in English or Spanish, please visit the project’s website. The novella illustrates theories related to gender, inequality, resilience, poverty, disasters, cities and vulnerabilities and can be used as a teaching resource
If you’re an illustrator or graphic artist with an idea for The Illustrated City series, email us at Cities@theguardian.com
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