In Puerto Rico, lack of electricity after Hurricane Maria has been a matter of life or death for certain residents like Marcos Aponte, a 23-year-old who relies on a ventilator to live. “My lungs don’t work. I depend on the machine in order to breathe. Without electricity, I can’t breathe. If the machine turns off, that’s it,” says Aponte.

To find out more about Aponte’s story and the stories of other Puerto Ricans who are coping with the hurricane’s devastating consequences, listen to the episode, “Surviving the Storm.”