Crisis in Puerto Rico

A week after Puerto Rico was struck by a major hurricane, there are scenes of desperation across the island: People sort through the rubble of their homes, looking for anything they can salvage. Others line up at water-filling stations to get clean drinking water or fill up buckets with water from streams or canals. Around them, buildings are in ruins.

Hurricane Maria slammed into the island, which is a U.S. territory and home to nearly 3.5 million U.S. citizens, on September 20. It brought steady winds of 155 miles per hour and heavy rains that caused flooding. Hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and other buildings were damaged or destroyed. The storm has also caused at least 18 deaths in Puerto Rico.

A week later, as rescuers continue to search for survivors, most of the island still does not have electricity. Many people in communities throughout Puerto Rico also don’t have access to clean water, and fuel is in short supply. In addition, communication is cut off in many areas because the storm disabled cellphone towers.

Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rosselló says the island faces a humanitarian crisis.

People are living in “inhumane conditions, almost without food, without drinking water,” says Elizabeth Perez, a police officer in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Hector Marquéz, 66, of Ponce, rattles off a list of what he can’t find: bottles of water, gas canisters to light stoves, food.

“Whatever little bit you had is running out,” he says. “The trucks with food do not come. No trucks come with anything. You go to the supermarket, and it’s almost empty.”    

Before making landfall in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria caused massive destruction on other Caribbean islands, including Dominica, Guadeloupe, and St. Croix, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hurricane Maria barreled into the Caribbean less than two weeks after another major hurricane—Hurricane Irma—hammered northern Puerto Rico and other islands in the region. Maria dealt a tough blow to many communities already suffering from widespread damage. 

Because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, Puerto Ricans are American citizens. However, because Puerto Rico is not a state, its citizens don’t have all the privileges of citizenship. For example, Puerto Ricans don’t have a representative in Congress who can vote, and they can’t vote for president. Even before the storm hit, the island was experiencing an economic crisis that forced the government to declare bankruptcy. Over the past decade, about half a million Puerto Ricans have left the island, seeking economic opportunity elsewhere.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sent airplanes and ships loaded with more than 4 million meals, 6 million liters of water, building and medical supplies, and power generators to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. National Guard has also sent more than 2,500 workers to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. But getting aid to Puerto Rico has been challenging. It is located in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, and all of the damage and washed-away roads make it hard to move people and supplies around the island.

President Donald Trump has announced plans to visit Puerto Rico next week. 

“Those people are very important to all of us,” he said. “We are working very, very hard on Puerto Rico.” Trump also announced that he has appointed a high-ranking general to better coordinate relief efforts with federal agencies.

Thomas P. Bossert, Trump’s homeland security adviser, says U.S. officials have been dispensing aid as fast as they can: “We are mobilizing and marshaling the resources of the United States of America in a way that is absolutely professional, fast, and adequate to meet the needs.”

But many people are still criticizing what they claim is a slow response from the president to the disaster, both in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They also say more needs to be done. Puerto Rican officials fear the death toll from the storm will continue to rise if sick or wounded residents don’t get help soon.

“We need more help,” says Governor Rosselló.    

With reporting by Helene Cooper, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, and Jack Healy of The New York Times.