The Situation In Puerto Rico Is Very Dire. Here's What's Going On, And How To Help.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the 3.4 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico are left facing electrical and communication outages, infrastructure failures, crop devastation and water and gasoline shortages. Here's what's going on, and how you can help.
With Both Power And Communications Out, Puerto Ricans Are Attempting To Connect With One Another Via Radio
Power and telecommunications outages have left Puerto Ricans isolated and unable to make contact with friends and loved ones.
With 100 percent of the power grid in ruins, landline phones do not work and the main TV stations have gone off the air. The Department of Energy said it is assisting Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to restore power.
For those living abroad the anxiety is as bad, if not worse. Family members in the diaspora attempt to make contact with locals via WAPA Radio, the only station that is transmitting at full strength.
Gasoline, Food And Water Are Running Low
The gasoline needed to run generators (and, obviously, cars) is in short supply, as is clean drinking water.
[F]inding gasoline was already a big problem. Lines for ice and gas stretched for blocks. Generators needed diesel or regular gas to work, and supplies at gas stations were quickly dwindling…
The water supply was also becoming a problem. Even in San Juan, people need electricity to access water, and water is also critical to running some air-conditioning systems.
A Dam In Western Puerto Rico Is Threatening To Flood Surrounding Areas
On Friday and Saturday, authorities evacuated areas near the Guajataca Dam, which had cracked and was threatening the lives of as many as 70,000 people in surrounding areas. Today, the areas near the dam are still under flash flood warnings.
A Puerto Rico dam damaged by Hurricane Maria's heavy rains remained in danger of failing early Monday, amid fears it might trigger a potentially life-threatening deluge.
The National Weather Service said a flash flooding warning in western Quebradillas and eastern Isabela municipalities, where the Guajataca Dam is located, would continue until 2 p.m. ET on Monday.
[NBC News]
Hospitals And Patients Are At Risk Of Running Out Of Medical Supplies
The Washington Post sent reporters to Juncos, an isolated mountain village where citizens fear running out of prescription drugs and not being able to refrigerate insulin and power medical devices. Meanwhile, hospitals are over capacity and in danger of losing generator power.
Hospitals are running out of gas for their generators and residents are flooding into San Juan's airport, hoping to get off the island by plane…
"Hysteria is starting to spread," Manati Mayor Jose Sanchez Gonzalez told the AP. "The hospital is about to collapse. It's at capacity. We need someone to help us immediately."
80 Percent Of The Territory's Crop Value Has Been Destroyed
Puerto Rico, which grows 15 percent of its own food, lost most of its crops to Hurricane Maria, according to The New York Times.
The island suffered a loss of $780 million in agriculture yields, according to the department's preliminary figures. Hurricane Georges in 1998 wiped out about 65 percent of crops and Hurricane Irma, which only grazed the island, took out about $45 million in agriculture production.
Despite Curfews, There Have Been Reports Of Nighttime Looting
The Daily Beast reports that "men carrying bats and clubs have been seen on the streets during curfew hours" and interviews San Juan business owners whose stock has been ransacked. Puerto Rico's curfew is in effect from 7 PM to 5 AM.
On this American island still suffering terribly from mighty Hurricane Maria's devastating impact, the feeling of despair and anxiety is now mixed with fear at night, when looters rule the streets…
The mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, told WAPA Radio, "We highly advise everyone not to be on the streets at night. It is not safe," warning that reports of looting are on the rise.
There Are 10 Confirmed Deaths Across Puerto Rico, With More Certain To Come
Because it's been so difficult to communicate with isolated villages, the official death toll remains low — but it's sure to rise as officials finally make contact with remote areas.
The death toll from Maria in Puerto Rico was at least 10, including two police officers who drowned in floodwaters in the western town of Aguada. That number was expected to climb as officials from remote towns continued to check in with officials in San Juan. Authorities in the town of Vega Alta on the north coast said they had been unable to reach an entire neighborhood called Fatima, and were particularly worried about residents of a nursing home.
Aid Organizations Are Having A Hard Time Reaching The Most Severely Impacted Areas
Reaching Puerto Rico by plane or boat remains very difficult, since Hurricane Maria damaged airports and harbors.
Federal agencies have succeeded in clearing the use of the Port of San Juan for daytime operations, but other ports remain closed pending inspections. Many roads are blocked, inhibiting relief convoys. The Transportation Department has opened five airports in Puerto Rico and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but only for military and relief efforts.
Puerto Rico's Governor Is Pleading For More Aid From The Federal Government
Governor Ricardo Rosselló gave interviews last night begging for emergency aid from the Department of Defense and the White House.
"We need more resources from the Department of Defense so we can get helicopters and resources," Rossello told POLITICO in a phone interview Sunday night…
Rossello said that in addition to more military resources, he would petition the Trump administration to lower the threshold for disaster expenditures that the island would need to refund…
"Whatever relief package we have, whatever impact we have, we are U.S. citizens," Rossello said. "We shouldn't be the lesser for it."
[Politico]
Meanwhile, President Trump spent the weekend calling for the firing of NFL players who kneel during the national anthem. And HuffPost senior politics reporter Jennifer Bendery reports that the White House won't request a relief package for Puerto Rico until early to mid-October, even though Congress can't start working on a bill until they get a formal request:
Here's How You Can Help
A number of nonprofits are raising money to help Puerto Ricans in dire need of food, water, medical care and support for long-term recovery. Here are a few of them.
The Hispanic Federation "launched the 'Unidos' disaster relief fund to help meet hurricane and earthquake-related needs and recovery in Puerto Rico and Mexico." When you give, you can designate your gift as being for "Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief."
United for Puerto Rico (Unidos por Puerto Rico) is an initiative created by Puerto Rican First Lady Beatriz Rosselló to provide aid and support to Puerto Ricans affected by the hurrican.
The Puerto Rico Real-Time Recovery Fund is a crowdfunding campaign overseen by two Puerto Rican nonprofits, ConPRmetidos and the Foundation for Puerto Rico, to provide "long-term relief for the victims of catastrophic Hurricane María in Puerto Rico."
UNICEF is "mobilizing to get immediate, critical support to the children of Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Maria."
Americares "has been working with the Puerto Rico Department of Health to stock emergency shelters in San Juan with medical equipment and supplies."
Save the Children is "coordinating closely with the local partners on the ground to assess the specific needs of children and families amid reports of massive damage."