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In this paper, we examine the sense of stability of Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria. Data from 20 interviews with Puerto Ricans currently residing in Florida illustrate how those who lived on the archipelago during the hurricanes felt obligated to leave their homes to survive the aftermath, and how members of the diaspora experienced the suffering of kin and the material losses in Puerto Rico. A sense of collective trauma is identified due to the disaster and through migration's effects. We argue that collective trauma exacerbated ontological insecurity that is rooted in the cultural trauma of the colonial experience. Our analysis draws from constructionist theories of identity and of trauma and the literature on disasters to explore the perceptions and meaning-making of Puerto Ricans in order to understand how cultural trauma, collective trauma, and ontological insecurity intersect in processes of recovery from environmental hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]