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Undated: Puerto Rico is an
unincorporated territory of the
United States located in the northeast
Caribbean Sea ...
Puerto Ricans are by law
natural-born citizens of the United States and may move freely between the
island and the mainland.[25]
As it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the
United States Congress, which governs the territory with full jurisdiction
under the
Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. However, Puerto Rico does have
one
non-voting member of the House called a Resident Commissioner. As a
U.S. territory, American citizens residing in Puerto Rico are
disenfranchised at the national level and do not
vote for president and vice president of the United States,[26]
and do not pay federal income tax on Puerto Rican income.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico
Undated: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts:
Puerto Rico
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/pr
-- 2017 --
June 14: On Sunday 97% of voters in Puerto
Rico expressed support for the island becoming a state.
The referendum was non-binding, and the United State Congress would have to pass
a bill to change Puerto Rico's status from a territory to a state.
Supporters of making Puerto Rico a state argue that Puerto Ricans deserve the
same rights as all other U.S. citizens. Adding Puerto Rico as a state could also
increase tax revenue.
Opponents of making Puerto Rico a state note that the territory has massive
debt. Statehood could make the U.S. government responsible for resolving some of
that debt. Other opponents question the validity of Sunday's referendum result,
noting that only 23% of voters turned out to vote, with some opposition parties
organizing boycotts.
https://www.lfda.org/news/puerto-rico-votes-become-state
September 18: Cat 5 Hurricane Maria
threatens storm-battered Caribbean
Hurricane Maria swept over the small island of Dominica with catastrophic
Category 5 winds overnight, starting a charge into the eastern Caribbean that
threatens islands already devastated by Hurricane Irma and holds the possibility
of a direct hit on Puerto Rico.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/sep/18/hurricane-maria-grows-to-a-category-3-nears-alread/
September 20:
On September 20, 2017,
Hurricane María, a high end Category 4 hurricane made landfall in the
municipality of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.
Hurricane María caused widespread catastrophic damage and loss of life across
Puerto Rico and Saint Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands due to its heavy rain,
very strong winds, and storm surge.
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=b8d94ab4db91468788f2f4148566b485
September 21: Hurricane Maria Response and
Relief Operations Underway
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
(FEMA) top priority is to provide life-saving resources to Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands, while aggressively working to gain greater access to
disaster affected areas.
Federal coordinating officers and other FEMA personnel are on the ground,
coordinating with the governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and
their respective emergency management agencies.
https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/09/21/hurricane-maria-response-and-relief-operations-underway
September 23: A humanitarian crisis grew on
Saturday in
Puerto Rico as towns were left without fresh water, fuel, power or phone
service following Hurricane Maria’s devastating passage across the US territory.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/23/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-communication-lines-dam
September 23: Officials raced to evacuate
tens of thousands of people living downstream of an endangered dam in Puerto
Rico on Saturday as the island nation grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane
Maria.
The National Weather Service warned the failure of Guajataca Dam in northwest
Puerto Rico was "imminent" and could lead to “life-threatening" flash flooding
for some 70,000 people that could be affected if it collapsed.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/weather/topstories/dam-failure-escalating-crisis-stymie-recovery-in-puerto-rico/ar-AAsmFD1?li=BBnb7Kz
October 2: Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel
Miranda to Donald Trump: “You are going straight to hell”
The typically sunny Miranda, who unironically calls people “friendos,” was
criticizing the president’s response to the crisis in Puerto Rico.
... Trump’s
flat-footed reaction to the crisis in Puerto Rico appears to have finally
gotten the best of Miranda ...
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/10/2/16400388/hamilton-composer-lin-manuel-miranda-donald-trump-going-straight-to-hell
October 3: ... President Trump toured Puerto
Rico ... to praise his team's response to Hurricane Maria ...
"Sixteen people certified – 16 people versus in the thousands," Trump said
during a briefing with Puerto Rican officials; he added that while "every death
is a horror," the devastation has not been "a real catastrophe" on the same
scale of Hurricane Katrina, which killed some 1,800 people in New Orleans in
2005.
Citing the logistical and financial challenges of the federal disaster response
on the island, Trump quipped: "Now I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've
thrown our budget a little out of whack, but you're throwing our budget a little
out of whack because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico. And that's fine;
we saved a lot of lives."
Trump's comments did not go over well with some U.S. lawmakers
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/03/trump-puerto-rico-survey-hurricane-maria-damage/726352001/
October 4: Trump's dramatic statement
spooked the market. The price of some Puerto Rican bonds crashed 15% Wednesday,
suggesting investors are even more worried about being repaid. U.S. bond
insurers like MBIA (MBI)also took a hit.
But analysts say Trump's words shouldn't be taken literally. He doesn't have the
legal authority to erase Puerto Rico's $73 billion in debt.
http://www.cetusnews.com/business/Trump-doesn-t-have-magic-wand-to-wipe-out-Puerto-Rico-s-debt.SJ7DSx3fn-.html
October 4: The “King of Debt” has plenty of
power, but he can’t make Puerto Rico’s mountain of debt magically disappear.
President Trump, who
gave himself the royal moniker during the 2016 campaign, told Fox News’
Geraldo Rivera that
“we will have to wipe out” Puerto Rico’s crushing debt load.
https://www.markettamer.com/blog/trump-doesnt-have-magic-wand-to-wipe-out-puerto-ricos-debt
October 12: President
Donald Trump said Thursday the federal government cannot keep the
Federal Emergency Management Agency in Puerto Rico "forever," even as the
U.S. territory continues to reel from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria
in September.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz slammed Trump's tweets as "adding insult to
injury" and "unbecoming."
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello also responded to Trump's tweets Thursday
morning by arguing that Puerto Rico is simply asking for the "support that any
of our fellow [American] citizens would receive."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-fema-responders-puerto-rico-forever/story?id=50433752
October 12: Ben Carson appears to contradict
Donald Trump on Puerto Rico in a tense exchange with a top Democratic
congresswoman
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and Rep. Maxine Waters
exchanged words
at
a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Thursday, and Carson
appeared to disagree with President Donald Trump's suggestion that the federal
government cannot provide aid to Puerto Rico "forever."
Waters began the hearing by asking Carson if he agreed with the assertion Trump
made
in a tweet Thursday morning that hurricane aid to Puerto Rico would not
continue indefinitely.
"I think that our job is to make sure that we take care of the disaster that has
occurred," Carson eventually responded. When Waters urged him to respond
directly to whether he thought Puerto Rico should be abandoned, Carson stated,
"Of course it should not be abandoned."
Responding to another question from Waters about Trump's accusations that Puerto
Rico is to blame for its financial crisis, Carson said, "I don't think it is
beneficial to go around shaming people in general."
Waters concluded this line of questioning by saying she was "glad to hear
[Carson doesn't] agree with the president."
http://www.businessinsider.com/ben-carson-trump-maxine-waters-puerto-rico-hurricane-2017-10
October 12: Trump's tweets come
three weeks after the hurricane first struck the island, which remains
largely without power. The death toll from the storm has risen to 45,
authorities have said, and at least 113 people remain unaccounted for ...
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/politics/donald-trump-puerto-rico-tweets/index.html
October 12: “This morning, Trump threatened
to abandon Puerto Rico recovery efforts,” [Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of
California] said. “President Trump served notice Thursday that he may pull back
federal relief workers, effectively threatening to abandon the U.S territory
amidst a staggering humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.”
“Do you agree with the president?” [Waters asked of Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Ben Carson].
“I have no intention of abandoning Puerto Rico,” [Carson responded] “They are a
very important part of who we are.”
http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/12/maxine-goes-after-ben-carson-for-trumps-latest-puerto-rico-tweets-video/
October 12: "Puerto Rican people are on
their knees, they are down, they are weak, hurting, dying. They need inspiration
not blame and finger pointing," said community activist Rousemary Vega.
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted, "Puerto Rico is still
facing a humanitarian crisis. @realDonaldTrump seems more worried about blaming
hurricane victims than helping them."
http://abc7chicago.com/exclusive-tour-of-damage-relief-operations-in-puerto-rico/2523341/
October 12: Texas and Florida — two states
Trump won during last year’s presidential election — also were struck by severe
hurricanes recently, but the President has made no public indication that the
federal government is pulling back on its response there.
While the Trump administration requested $29 billion in supplemental spending
last week, it asked for additional resources Tuesday night, including $4.9
billion ... specifically to fund a loan program that Puerto Rico can use to
address basic functions like infrastructure needs.
http://wtvr.com/2017/10/12/trump-we-cant-aid-puerto-rico-forever/
October 16: Desperate Puerto Ricans line up
for water — at a hazardous-waste site
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/10/16/desperate-puerto-ricans-line-up-for-water-at-a-hazardous-waste-site/?utm_term=.01c08773a892
October 25: Hurricane Maria didn’t
discriminate between rich and poor when it ravaged Puerto Rico, but the recovery
has been another story.
Much of Puerto Rico was still without power Wednesday, more than a month after
the storm, but wealthier residents are sealed up in air conditioned homes with
their generators and bottled water, or have fled the island altogether for
extended vacations, while the poorest are left swatting mosquitoes in sweltering
heat and trying to secure enough water.
https://weather.com/en-CA/canada/news/news/puerto-rico-inequality
November 9: More than 140,000 Puerto Ricans
have left [for the mainland] since the storm hit Sept. 20 and some experts
estimate more than 300,000 more could leave [Puerto Rico] in the next two years.
That’s on top of a similar-size exodus over the last decade of economic crisis,
creating a massive population loss for the U.S. territory of 3.4 million.
Most of those who have left went on their own. Aid groups and the U.S.
government helped evacuate large numbers of the elderly and sick. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency said it has offered to help relocate those still in
temporary shelters, about 2,400 people as of Friday, to temporary housing on the
mainland.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/09/hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-debate/850820001/
November 10: Puerto Rico's emergency
management director resigned Friday as the island's slow recovery continues
nearly two months after Hurricane Maria made landfall.
The governor also announced that
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, who was appointed by the Pentagon to lead all
military relief efforts, will be reassigned outside the island next week.
About 60% of the US territory is still without power as the island's
approximately 3.4 million US citizens struggle through the aftermath of the
storm.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/us/puerto-rico-emergency-management-director-resigns/index.html
November 28: After Hurricane Maria damaged
tens of thousands of homes in Puerto Rico, a newly created Florida company with
an unproven record won more than $30 million in contracts from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency tarps and plastic sheeting for
repairs.
Bronze Star LLC never delivered those urgently needed supplies, which even
months later remain in demand by hurricane victims on the island.
According to an exclusive Associated Press report, FEMA eventually terminated
the contracts, without paying any money, and re-started the process this month
to supply more tarps for the island.
Thousands of Puerto Ricans remain homeless, and many complain that the federal
government is taking too long to install tarps.
http://www.gazettenet.com/Big-contracts-no-storm-tarps-for-Puerto-Rico-14014104
December 21: The Department of Homeland
Security's internal watchdog is investigating how a fledgling Florida company
won more than $30 million in contracts for desperately needed disaster relief
supplies in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
http://home.cableone.net/news/read/category/Top%20News/article/the_associated_press-internal_watchdog_to_probe_fema_contracts_to_tiny-ap
December 21:
Rosselló, a Democrat and member of the island's New Progressive Party, argued on
MSNBC that the Republican tax plan hurts Puerto Rico's economy.
"Right now, we're going to do an evaluation of all the congressmen and
congresswomen that have pledged support toward the people of Puerto Rico, and in
the time to take action they have reneged on that word," he said.
December 27: Thousands of police officers
are calling in sick every day in Puerto Rico, partly to press demands for unpaid
overtime pay for hurricane recovery efforts as concerns grow over people's
safety in a U.S. territory struggling to restore power.
"We have had an inordinate amount of absences that we haven't seen in years
prior," she [Puerto Rico Police Chief Michelle Hernandez] told The Associated
Press, adding that while there has been a drop in major crimes this year, she is
concerned that trend could reverse.
Normally, an average of 550 police officers are absent every day across Puerto
Rico, which has one of the largest police departments under U.S. jurisdiction
with more than 13,000 officers overall. But recently, more than 2,700 officers
on average have been absent daily.
http://www.dothaneagle.com/thousands-of-puerto-rico-police-owed-overtime-call-in-sick/article_cfb9bd6f-e8cb-54b2-b04e-8d1f7624155a.html
-- 2018 --
Undated:
OAI is bringing relief to Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands
https://www.marineaid.org/projects
January 4: It's 2018, and Puerto Rico is
Still Dealing With the Fallout from Hurricane Maria ... As of January 1, only a
little more than 60 percent of
Puerto Rico’s power [80% of power; 60 percent of customers] had been restored. It is the longest blackout in U.S.
history and has even been given a name by locals: “Apagón” (translated as “super
outage”). It impacts residents’ access to
clean water and healthcare, but also
education and
work.
The lack of water, energy and food, which has plagued Puerto Rico in the
aftermath of the hurricane has triggered an important exodus. More than
239,000 Puerto Ricans have arrived in Florida since October 3, according to
figures from Florida’s State Emergency Response Team. It is the largest
evacuation on this scale in the history of the state.
https://impact.vice.com/en_us/article/kzn3wn/its-2018-and-puerto-rico-is-still-dealing-with-the-fallout-from-hurricane-maria
January 7: More Equipment, Crews Head to
Puerto Rico for Power Boost ... Puerto Rico's energy infrastructure is about 44
years old, compared with an average 18 years in the U.S. mainland, so a lot of
parts damaged or destroyed by the hurricane are no longer available and have to
be manufactured
Federal officials said Monday that efforts to fully restore power to Puerto Rico
in the wake of Hurricane Maria should get a boost with more work crews and more
supplies in upcoming weeks.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is getting its own barge to ship items
and that materials it requested several months ago have been manufactured and
are finally on their way to the U.S. territory.
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/national-international/More-Equipment-Crews-PR-Power-Boost--468350743.html
January 12: Thirty-two people have been
slain in Puerto Rico in the first 11 days of the year, double the number killed
over the same period in 2017. If the surge proves to be more than just a
temporary blip, January could be the most homicidal month on the island in at
least two years, adding a dangerous new element to the island's recovery from
Hurricane Maria, its worst disaster in decades.
http://www.wral.com/puerto-rico-fears-post-maria-murder-surge-11-days-32-slain/17250417/
January 14: Almost four months since
Hurricane Maria leveled
Puerto Rico,
two realities have taken hold on the island.
For the neighborhoods in the capital city reconnected to electricity, residents
hung Christmas lights outside their homes for the holidays.
But in the south, progress is slow. In Playa Punta Santiago, a small beach town
on the coast where Maria first made landfall, the debris from whole structures —
a school, gas station, homes — still litter the landscape.
More than 800 members of the Corps [South Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE)] are overseeing and working with contractors in
rebuilding the island’s electrical grid, clearing debris and providing temporary
roofing and emergency power.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jan/14/after-hurricane-maria-devastation-puerto-rico-rise/
January 31: More than four months after
Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is
halting new shipments of food and water to the island, an agency official with
direct knowledge of the plan told CNN on Tuesday.
The island government appeared blindsided by the decision, saying it was still
in talks with FEMA on a timetable for assuming control of food and water
distribution.
New shipments of food and water will officially stop Wednesday to the US
commonwealth in the Caribbean, though FEMA said it has more than 46 million
liters of water, 2 million Meals Ready to Eat and 2 million snack packs on the
ground for distribution if needed.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/30/us/fema-puerto-rico-food-water-shipments-end/index.html
January 31:
FEMA Reverses Decision to End Puerto Rico Aid After Trump Celebrates Support for
Puerto Rico in SOTU ... the Wednesday shutdown date had been “mistakenly
provided” and that FEMA is in fact still in the process of deciding when it will
wind down operations.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01/fema-reverses-puerto-rico-aid-shutdown-after-trump-sotu.html
February 6:
FEMA Contract Called for 30 Million Meals for Puerto Ricans.
50,000 Were Delivered.
FEMA terminated a big contract with a tiny vendor hired to produce meals for
Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Now, Congress is asking questions.
http://www.analyzednews.com/article.php?id=1195207&category=Puerto%20Rico&topic=&title=FEMA%20Contract%20Called%20for%2030%20Million%20Meals%20for%20Puerto%20Ricans.%2050,000%20Were%20Delivered.
February 21: 'Exodus' from Puerto Rico: A
visual guide
Hurricane Maria sent thousands fleeing devastation in Puerto Rico. Federal data
obtained by CNN suggest migrants have moved to every US state -- even Alaska.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/us/puerto-rico-migration-data-invs/index.html
February 22: US Army's top engineer 'not
satisfied' with Puerto Rico's post-Maria recovery
It's been 150 days since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, but the
island still isn't at a level of recovery that satisfies the U.S. Army’s top
engineer.
"I am not satisfied that people in Puerto Rico should have to wait that much
time for power," Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite said Wednesday during an interview at
the Pentagon. "But I am telling you, there are no other knobs I can turn to
go any faster."
The commanding general of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers reaffirmed that 95 percent of the island will see
energy restoration by the end of March. What comes next is what he dubs the
"last mile" -- restoring power to some of the most remote and mountainous parts
of the U.S. territory.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/us-armys-top-engineer-satisfied-puerto-ricos-post/story?id=53266399
February 21:
Citigroup Drove Puerto Rico Into Debt. Now It Will Profit From
Privatization on the Island.
One of the same banks that drove the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority,
or PREPA, into the red will now be paid to help auction it off to the highest
bidder.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc., or Citi, will be the main investment bank
consultant in the restructuring and privatization of PREPA, the
Washington-appointed Fiscal Control Board — the body now overseeing Puerto
Rico’s finances — announced recently. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló first
announced the move toward privatization last month.
“Citi will advise the Board on PREPA’s privatization,” the Fiscal Control
Board wrote in a statement, “as well as the restructuring of PREPA’s debt
pursuant to Title III proceedings in federal bankruptcy court. Citi will take
the lead in identifying private sector solutions that fulfill the vision laid
out by Governor Rosselló.”
https://theintercept.com/2018/02/21/citigroup-citi-puerto-rico-debt/
February 21: Calls to Puerto Rico’s suicide
hotline have skyrocketed since Hurricane Maria
Reported suicide attempts have tripled in recent months.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/21/17032168/puerto-rico-suicide-hotline-hurricane-maria
February 22: The mountainous area of Ponce,
Puerto Rico has posed quite the challenge for local officials attempting to
restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The storm left residents
powerless for four months, and while
efforts by companies such as AT&T have been made elsewhere on the island,
this particular region has been an uphill battle. Cabling power lines through
the thick woodlands is difficult for boots on the ground, but Duke Energy began
approaching the challenge from an aerial perspective in January. The energy
company is now using unmanned aerial vehicles to traverse the more than 1,000
feet gorges of Ponce, and string vital power lines across in order to return
power back to the area.
http://www.thedrive.com/tech/18713/these-power-line-stringing-drones-are-restoring-power-in-puerto-rico
March 6: Exodus from Puerto Rico grows as
island struggles to rebound from Hurricane Maria
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/exodus-from-puerto-rico-grows-as-island-struggles-to-rebound-from-hurricane-maria/2018/03/06/b2fcb996-16c3-11e8-92c9-376b4fe57ff7_story.html?utm_term=.25ba76b15826
March 7: 6 Months After Hurricanes, 11
Percent Of Puerto Rico Is Still Without Power
In Puerto Rico, roughly 150,000 homes and businesses are still waiting for
electricity ... Many have been waiting since before Hurricane Maria, when
Hurricane Irma grazed the island six months ago this week.
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/07/591681107/6-months-after-hurricanes-11-percent-of-puerto-rico-is-still-without-power
March 15: 'We are the forgotten people':
It's been almost six months since Hurricane Maria, and Puerto Ricans are still
dying
[Maria's] howling winds, which topped 150 mph, long have dissipated. The storm
that battered Puerto Rico on September 20 before hooking northward into the
Atlantic is a memory.
Yet, in this US commonwealth, people are still dying in Maria's wake.
That's especially true of those who lack basic services like electricity.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/politics/puerto-rico-six-month-deaths-sutter-invs/index.html
April 18: Puerto Rico has suffered an
island-wide power outage, its power authority said Wednesday --
nearly seven months after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island's
infrastructure and its electrical grid.
An excavator operated by a contractor apparently caused the blackout, which
originated at a major transmission line running between Salinas to Guayama in
the southeast, according to the authority.
Power was to be restored within 24 to 36 hours, the authority said.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/18/us/puerto-rico-mass-power-outage/index.html
May 9: Puerto Rico To FEMA: Let The Power
Crews Stay
The last of the federal government's power restoration crews are scheduled to
leave Puerto Rico when their contract expires next week, leaving the island's
power utility with the task of energizing the last 1.5 percent of customers
still waiting eight months after Hurricane Maria.
In
an urgent letter to the heads of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez requested that the
agencies extend their restoration contracts on the island for up to 90 days.
"Out of an abundance of caution in the face of the upcoming hurricane season,"
wrote Gonzalez, "I must urge that there be an extension of the mission that
allows agency and contract crews to remain in place to see that the system is
100 percent restored."
https://www.npr.org/2018/05/09/609815821/puerto-rico-s-congressional-rep-requests-extension-of-power-restoration-contract
June 2:
It's been more than eight months
since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. People are still using tarps for roofs.
Officials are worried another storm could wipe out power on the island again.
And a new estimate of the death toll suggests thousands more died than we knew.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/02/us/on-the-ground-in-puerto-rico-qa/index.html
July 12: FEMA says in
report that it was underprepared for Hurricane Maria
The report backs up many of the criticisms that were leveled at the emergency
relief agency in the immediate aftermath of Maria, one of the worst natural
disasters to strike Puerto Rico in modern history.
The report found that FEMA was ill-equipped to respond to the hurricane,
following a series of storms that ravaged the Caribbean in the weeks prior.
For example, supplies were moved from a warehouse in San Juan, the territory's
capital, to the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma, creating "an immediate
deficit of commodities" in Puerto Rico when Maria hit weeks later.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/396819-in-new-report-fema-says-it-was-underprepared-for-hurricane-maria
August 15: It took 11 months to restore
power to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. A similar crisis could happen again.
... 1.5 million customers lost electricity across Puerto Rico, causing the
largest blackout in US history.
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/8/15/17692414/puerto-rico-power-electricity-restored-hurricane-maria
August 16: Puerto Rico, 11 months later: How the private sector aids
recovery
“The reality is, you saw tens of thousands of people in Puerto Rico sleeping
under blue tarps,” he said. “That’s American soil. It’s a pretty shameful effort
that we’ve down there collectively as a nation to right those communities
following that storm.”
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/puerto-rico-11-months-later-meet-the-private-company-aiding-recovery-efforts
August 17: Eleven months after
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
has said that the island's emergency is over. And because of that, the agency
has begun scaling back its financial assistance to the island.
On Wednesday, FEMA denied a request from the island's governor for the federal
agency to continue covering 100 percent of the cost of emergency work —
including
power restoration, debris cleanup and other recovery efforts.
Instead, FEMA has said that going forward, it will cover 90 percent of those
costs, while Puerto Rico's government will be responsible for the remaining 10
percent. FEMA estimates that share could cost the island's government about $100
million.
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639473616/nearly-a-year-after-maria-fema-reduces-assistance-to-puerto-rico
Undated: The Slow Recovery in Puerto Rico
As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria approaches, Puerto Ricans feel
not only devastated but abandoned
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/puertorico_photo-essay-slow-recoery-180969346/
August 17: A U.S. federal judge on Friday
ruled against a group of bondholders that bought debt issued by Puerto Rico’s
largest public pension, the Employees Retirement System (ERS), denying their
ability to hold claim on property used as collateral.
With roughly $120 billion in debt and pension liabilities, Puerto Rico filed for
bankruptcy protection under a court-ordered process created under the so-called
PRO MESA Act.
https://www.reuters.com/article/puertorico-debt-pensions/us-judge-rules-against-puerto-rico-retirement-system-bondholders-idUSL1N1V81K9
September 13:
Trump echoes far-right websites on Puerto Rico
For almost a year, conservative voices and publications on the internet have
been casting doubt on the severity of Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-echoes-far-right-websites-puerto-rico-n909451
September 13: Trump lied about Puerto Rico's
death toll after Hurricane Maria. But island officials enabled that behavior.
The local government clearly felt it had to cozy up to the president for funds
to rebuild. This is the inevitable result.
President Trump is finally feeling the pressure for never formally acknowledging
the fact — yes,
despite his tweets, the fact — that the number of people who died as a
result of Hurricane Maria and its aftereffects was never just the 16 lives, a
number about which he so proudly bragged about last October in San Juan.
But his tweets on Thursday morning essentially rejecting the local government’s
official death count of 2,975 lives and blaming Democrats, with no evidence, for
inflating the numbers are the most insulting and shameful comments about Puerto
Ricans since Maria destroyed the island last September.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-lied-about-puerto-rico-s-death-toll-after-ncna909296
September
18: Trump echoes far-right websites on Puerto Rico
For almost a year, conservative voices and publications on the internet have
been casting doubt on the severity of Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico.
The president
caused an uproar on Thursday when he contradicted an independent study
commissioned by the government of Puerto Rico that revised the Hurricane Maria
death toll estimate from 64 to 2,975.
In claiming that “3,000 people did not die,” Trump alleged that the study was
“done by the Democrats” to make him look bad. In accusing Puerto Rico’s
government of politicizing the study, Trump mirrored the narratives that have
pervaded pro-Trump and far-right websites for the past year.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-echoes-far-right-websites-puerto-rico-n909451
September 20: FEMA
Stopped Paying For Hotels For Displaced Puerto Ricans. Now Some Are Homeless.
Other Hurricane Maria evacuees who’ve since managed to get their own place are
teetering on the brink of homelessness.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hurricane-maria-displaced-puerto-ricans-fema-hotels_us_5ba17fcce4b04d32ebfda3cb
September 20: White House officials on
Thursday touted President
Donald Trump and his administration’s “historic recovery effort” and
“significant progress” in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the
island a year ago.
But even a cursory look at what has occurred over the last year would counter
the administration’s
glowing press release, beginning with the
nearly 3,000 people who died because of the storm, as reported in a George
Washington University study. Trump
has falsely claimed those figures were fabricated by Democrats.
A year since Hurricane Maria, conditions for the storm survivors remain dire.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-brags-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico_us_5ba3c10ce4b0375f8f9af8ae
September 24: Donald Trump: ‘Absolute No’ On
Puerto Rican Statehood Bid If San Juan Mayor Stays
The president tore into Carmen Yulín Cruz and lamented that he never got a thank
you for his response to Hurricane Maria.
Congress is the only body with power to grant statehood, but many past
presidents, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, have
supported Puerto Rican statehood if that’s what the majority of the islanders
wanted.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-puerto-rico-statehood_us_5ba9132de4b0181540df617f
November
20: Advocates Fight 'Culture of Secrecy' In Post-Hurricane Puerto
Rico
Puerto Rico's governor pledged to run a transparent recovery process. But as
billions of dollars are on the way, many people say there are indications that
transparency may not be a top priority.
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/20/669161990/advocates-fight-culture-of-secrecy-in-post-hurricane-puerto-rico
November 21: More Than A Year Post-Maria,
Puerto Rico’s Governor Beseeches Congress For Help
Accusing lawmakers of treating Puerto Ricans “differently than other U.S.
citizens,” the governor requested more federal assistance to help the island
bounce back.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/puerto-rico-governor-rossello-congress-funding-maria_us_5bf52e0ee4b0eb6d9309d843
December
6: 'My Father Is In There': Anguish Builds In Puerto Rico Mountains
Over Decimated Tombs
The Lares Municipal Cemetery has been closed since Hurricane Maria caused a
landslide that damaged nearly 1,800 tombs at the cemetery's far end. Visits and
new burials have been prohibited ever since.
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/06/673268881/my-father-is-in-there-anguish-builds-in-puerto-rico-mountains-over-decimated-tom?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20181206&utm_campaign=breakingnews&utm_term=nprnews
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