September 2017, the Morales–Cordero family watched the news feed in disbelief and fear for their families as Hurricane Maria and her relentless 155 mile per hour wind gusts destroyed the home in which they had lived, in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. Jessica and her two daughters, Keilin (11) and Jaineliz (8) had reunited with Jeffry in Huron just a few months previously. “I feel blessed to be here. If we had not left Puerto Rico when we did, we would have been without jobs and homeless”, explained Jessica.
Hurricane Maria was a category five storm and declared the worst natural disaster on record to hit Puerto Rico, causing over $91 billion dollars in damage*. Relatives still living in Puerto Rico were without power for five months and without water for three months. “It is not a good life there for our families and we worry about them. They are trying to rebuild, but the smaller storms keep coming and destroy a lot of what they are working to fix”, explained Jessica.
Jeffry and Jessica are native to Puerto Rico and while there Jessica was employed by a day care and going to school full–time. Jeffry struggled with the declining local job market and for two years was unable to secure regular work. When Jessica received her degree, she took employment as a nurse in a hospital one hour away in Mayaguez. In February of 2017, Jeffry knew he had to do something different to be able to provide for his family. After much discussion, he prepared to leave his home in hopes of employment with Dakota Provisions in Huron. “It was very hard to leave my family, especially not knowing when I would see my wife and little girls again”, relayed Mr. Morales. Upon arrival, Jeffry accepted a position as a Cooler Operator and resided with his brother–in–law, whom had left Puerto Rico two years prior through a recruiting mission by the South Dakota based, turkey processing plant.
Ironically, Jessica and her daughters arrived in South Dakota and were reunited with Jeffry on July 4th. Independence Day will forever have a deep, life changing meaning for this family. Even though Jessica’s nursing degree was not fully acknowledged here, she is able to take additional courses and eventually achieve her certification, which will allow her to work in the medical field again. In the meantime, her daughters are enrolled in the Huron School District and Jessica is working at Walmart.
Thankful for the opportunity to share housing with family in Huron, Jeffry and Jessica were hoping to find a home of their own. It was something neither of them had ever thought possible, but they were willing to try. “The worst they could do was tell us no,” confessed Jeffry. In November, the couple came to Dakotaland Federal Credit Union and met Jackie Acuna, a staff member in the lending department and a Spanish Translator. Jessica remembered being so relieved when she met Jackie. “Not only did we find a place willing to give us a chance, but we found someone who could speak Spanish and she was excited to help us make our dream come true”, shared Jessica.
Their discussions with Jackie, quickly brought them to Real Estate Loan Office, Jared Reno and this is when the real work began. “Purchasing a home requires a long list of document collection and various verifications. In the case of the Morales-Cordero family, the majority of the information we needed to process their home loan was somewhere in a country devastated by a massive hurricane”, explained Reno.
A unique situation and one Mr. Reno had not encountered previously, but with Jeffry and Jessica’s commitment, along with Chelsea Schulz, a very persistent Loan Originator, the team was able to bring a helpless situation to a celebrated reality. The day of the Morales–Cordero closing, everyone witnessed a level of gratitude from Jeffry and Jessica, which brought all involved to the point of tears. Jeffry, Jessica, Keilin, Jaineliz and three little pet fish moved into their new home on January 6th, 2018. “I love my home and when I saw it for the first time, I just knew it was the right one”,declared Jessica. Her favorite spot in the house is the view of her back yard from her dining room table because it makes her feel at peace. Jessica parted with this sentiment, “My goal is to raise our family here, grow old here and plant vegetables in my backyard.”.
And we hope you do.
