Who’s helping Puerto Rico?
The US territory is picking up the pieces following the massive destruction of Hurricane Maria.
On September 20th, 2017 the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 90 years made landfall, delivering a massive blow to the US territory.
Hurricane Maria decimated the island’s infrastructure, snapping powerlines like toothpicks and toppling homes like they were made of playing cards. The official death toll is currently 34.
In the wake of the storm there’s been much talk about the territory’s relationship with the United States. President Trump’s administration has been widely criticised for its slow response in sending much needed aid to the island. On Tuesday, the president made his first trip to island to see the devastation first hand. Puerto Rican officials say what he saw was that little, if anything, has changed.
The death toll is expected to rise as the 3.5 million residents living on the island continue to struggle to find water, petrol and other basic needs. Only 5 percent of Puerto Ricans have power and roughly 50 percent are without clean drinking water.
So who will help Puerto Rico?
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Héctor Figueroa @figue32bj
President, 32BJ Service Employees International Union
seiu32bj.org
Isabel Rullan @ConPRmetidos
Managing Director of ConPRmetidos
conprmetidos.org
Rene Vargas @Rene_A_Vargas
Lawyer, Puerto Rico resident
Read more:
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, ‘everything collapsed simultaneously’ – The Washington Post
Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria survivors struggle to find relatives – Al Jazeera
After firs tour of Puerto Rico, top general calls damage ‘the worst he’s ever seen’ – PBS Newshour
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.