On September 20th, Hurricane Maria made its mark on Puerto Rico, demolishing its already weak power, communications, and transportation infrastructure. The storm gave way to a humanitarian crisis, with many of the island’s residents struggling to access food, water, and fuel to run generators and cars. Help has been slow to arrive. Only about 7,200 military personnel have made it to Puerto Rico two weeks after the hurricane made landfall. Supplies have also been slow to arrive to many remote parts of the island due to roads being blocked by landslides and fallen trees.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello updated the death count to 34 on Tuesday, while it was initially stuck at 16. President Donald Trump claimed on his visit to the island on the same day that it wasn’t a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. He previously told reporters at the White House, “The loss of life — it’s always tragic — but it’s been incredible the results that we’ve had with respect to loss of life…People can’t believe how successful that has been, relatively speaking.”
Doesn’t look like such a success to me.
As of October 7th, only about 15% of cell phone antennas are operational, and 24% of cell phone towers. According to FEMA, about 56% of customers of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority have portable water and just over 9% of customers have electricity.
There are numerous ways to donate to relief efforts. To donate $10 to the Red Cross via text, send a text message saying “REDCROSS” to the number 90999. Apple users in the U.S. can also donate to the American Red Cross through the company’s iTunes and app stores to help people affected by Hurricane Maria and the earthquake in Mexico. Amounts range from $5 to $200. On Google, searching for “Hurricane Maria” will let you donate directly in the search results. In the wake of a disaster, donations tend to pour in and then peter out during the long recovery process. Consider saving some money to donate to charity in a few weeks or months.
You can track the progress of relief efforts on the island through this website.