That's a Wrap
Puerto Rico
By: Daniel Herrera Oregel Feb. 15, 2018
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“Make no mistake — this is a humanitarian disaster involving 3.4 million US citizens,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said, the Monday after Maria hit.
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On Wednesday, September 24, disaster struck Puerto Rico. The category 4 Hurricane Maria hit the island with 150 mph winds and drenched it in feet of rain. Ever since then, most of the island has no electricity or potable water. It has been catastrophic for the small island.
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The biggest problem to Puerto Rico is the lack of electricity. There are many factors into why it’s been so hard to restore power. For one, the power grid was already a mess before the storm hit. The public utility company, PREPA, had been putting off repairs for years as the island sank into a deep economic recession. The utility company is also bankrupt and
understaffed, as thousands of electrical
workers have retired or moved to the US
mainland in the past decade to find better
jobs. Even Though the storm didn't knock
most of the power grid, it did knock down
80% of the utility poles and transmission
lines. It is estimated that 95% of the
island should have power by the end of the
end of February, 2018, and 100% by the end
of May, 2018.
Hundreds of Thousands of people have left Puerto Rico since the Hurricane hit due to the long everlasting blackout, the food shortage, and the unreliable running water. More than 269,000 people have arrived in Florida on flights from Puerto Rico since the hurricane, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The worst part is that help from the president has not and will not arrive to the small island. I know many only call it a U.S. territory, but this place should be treated as a top priority by the president, but he choose to ignore it. The president decided to ignore 3.4 million people that were in desperate need of help. The government secretly wrote off the death toll of the Hurricane by releasing the death toll to 64 deaths caused by Hurricane Maria. However, the recount showed that the real death toll was 1052 casualties to this natural disaster.To top it all off, the president of the U.S. didn't even address it as something that occured and just brushed it aside.
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Hurricane Maria has had a huge impact on America, but not as much as Puerto Rico, who has suffered a lot from this horrible disaster. Their rich culture has been compromised by the destruction of their homes, forcing many to move away from the dear place they called home.
