Puerto Rico in the Dark

Puerto Rico might finally realize what its value to the U.S is: zilch, cannon fodder. And that they can depend on and expect zilch from the U.S. Want statehood? Don't hold your breath. Despite multiple referendums showing support for statehood, Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting representative in Congress, doesn’t see that happening anytime soon. "But maybe there’s a silver lining to the storm clouds," she said," in making the country more open to the idea." The US House of Representatives, is fixed at 435 seats, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states. It would require a two-thirds majority of both houses to change that and again two thirds majority to allow PR to become a state. The population of PR Rico is at 3.7M, higher than that of 21 states + D.C. Besides, estimates from 2012 show the Puerto Rican population in the United States, the "diaspora" to be over 5 million. Do the numbers. Then add PR's $120 billion debt. Then, Trump's quips and insults... • "You've thrown our budget a little out of whack. We've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico." Ha, ha, ha! "God helps those who help themselves" ~ ALGERNON SIDNEY, adopted by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Maybe that storm CAN be the silver lining "in making the country more open to the idea" of Independence, that the right way is to cut ties that binds us helplessly, inexorably, perpetually, to Uncle Sam. "Habit is the ballast that chains the Dog to his vomit." ~ SAMUEL BECKETT

Good job Donnie! You sure do deserve a 10.

Puerto Rico did not go bankrupt because of Donald Trump. It all happened during the previous eight years of the Obama administration, if you want to blame a president for this situation.

As someone else pointed out, the neglect of our government is criminal. Actually it’s more like depraved. In a country of such wealth, how can we forsake our own? It’s beyond tragic that the people have to live this way and fend for themselves, and that is true whether they are Americans (they are) or not.

Am I the only one who is suspicious of how the republicans got to occupy all three branches of what was once our Government ? I thought Katrina was an anomaly. Another republican, who lost the vote, occupies the oval office. Another Katrina atrocity is committed.

My mama used to say you can tell the character of a man by how he treats his dog when he’s drunk. In other words, under pressure and given a chance to perform, how will he do? If the stories and photographs in these pages are accurate, they reveal such extreme loss, sorrow, displacement, and danger. We don’t need to discuss the President’s paper towel jump shots and his jabbing at folks who are down and out. But the Puertorriqueños? Well, the volunteers cooking in Caguas, taking a few loaves and fishes, feeding the crowd with a meal and with joy, show us a better way ahead. Apparently, the situation on the island was a mess before the storm ripped away infrastructure and pretense. OK, the rest of us Americans should commit – in equal measure to the efforts of these brave people -- to rebuild and renew.

Now that we have seen the disgraceful devastation of P.R. which Trump et al have let continue why not a picture article about how the people in Mainland USA aka Republicans are dealing with their hurricane issues. I know they all have power, water etc. How many FEMA employees are in Houston right now. I last read 25,000 in Houston and 2500 in PR. An article like that would be an interesting comparison.

We need more coverage like this excellent story and compelling photos. Puerto Ricans are not receiving the help they are owed by the rest of the United States. (And please let's stop overlooking the US Virgin Islands!) The plight of Puerto Rico is no less devastating than what New Orleans suffered from Katrina, an event that unmasked the ineptitude of the previous Republican administration. When a party's mantra is that government is the problem, voters should understand that a government run by that party will not solve problems. Any New Yorker who lived without electricity and water after superstorm Sandy should have deep awareness of what people in Puerto Rico are going through. Their resilience is admirable but shouldn't be necessary.

One would think that those indifferent to the raw fact of massive human suffering would at least be concerned that the glorious American Imperial Enterprise is suffering an ugly black eye. What resource-rich third world country would now want to come under America's protective umbrella after having witnessed its cavalier treatment of Puerto Rico?

Thank you for continuing to cover the situation in Puerto Rico.

"W" 's words, during Katrina, come to mind. "Good work Brownie"

If this was Florida or Texas the money and resources to repair the massive damage would be flowing in. But Puerto Rico is still a colony with American citizens who cannot vote for the president and whose representative in Congress cannot cast a vote. This president who bragged that he scored a 10 when it came to the response to Puerto Rico should not only spend a week on the island living in one of the many thousands of destroyed homes but hang his dyed blond head in shame. The only thing that he was able to do was to throw out rolls of paper towels as if the recipients were animals and not human beings. One of the things that he could but won't do is to waive the Jones Act permanently but he much prefers to support the welfare of the American shipping interests to supporting the welfare of the people of Puerto Rico. What has happened to Puerto Rico and the nearby islands is a tragedy and the American government must step up to the plate.

A crime against humanity by a bunch of fake Jesus Republicans who back President Trump. Shameful.

Trump plays golf. Let them eat cake.

Puerto Rico is a troubling reminder of our disunited states. As long as the present bad seeds of the Republican party occupy all branches of our government our official polices will exploit human suffering by calling this torture the consequences of those damned Democrats, and the failures will multiply until billionaires become uneasy about not being multi-billionaires. Right now Alabama (and the other Deep Southern States) have more in common than do NYC and Chicago, where the disunity is being brewed. Perhaps we are slowing realizing that these disunited states are the function of a one-party nation.

Donald Trump's reaction to the disaster shows exactly what kind of person he is. He is mean and ignorant.

Puerto Rico is a blessed community by virtue of it's people upholding the 'golden rule', and caring for each other. Something completely foreign to the arrogant idiot we have as president, who is oblivious to the richness of our diversity...and the need for inclusion, for solidarity, in moments of need; this, out of his huge social distance from the least among us, a clueless 'empty sac' with no skin in the game, especially if non-white folks are involved. And that is the real disaster, given that Puerto Ricans, also American citizens, will take care of themselves

Americans. Donald Trump, these are Americans, not a group of people to exploit for your own so called greatness. FEMA and the president have failed to help Americans. And not even a whisper of protest from the GOP.

Disgraceful that Trump hasn't made these 3 1/2 million Americans a priority.

Puerto Rico has been neglected by our government and by the press. There's really no reason we shouldn't be reminded daily about the tribulations of our fellow citizens. And the neglect from the government is criminal. Dumb as a rock Rick Perry went to Africa last week to promote the use of US fossil fuels for rural electrification (ignoring the fact that Africa has plenty of fossil fuels of its own). I would suggest that he focus first on electrification of our own territory. I'm way past angry about this.

As Hurricane Season 2017 ends, it is normally time to evaluate the effectiveness of the response of government and volunteer organizations to the hurricanes which hit the US. It is time to correct the errors in preparation and delivery of vital services for the 2018 season beginning in just 8 months. Unfortunately for the American citizens in the US territory of Puerto Rico, the damage from Irma and Maria continues to be too great and the resources sent continue to be too little to provide adequate relief. While people in Texas, Florida and other states which were hit by Harvey and Maria worry about the delays in claim processing, most people in Puerto Rico don't have clean water, electrical power, access to hospitals with electrical power, normal food supplies in stores and access to jobs. Many are still in the emergency phase of disaster relief, especially in isolated rural areas. We cannot just forget about the plight of our fellow American citizens in Puerto Rico; Reminding Congress how much support the federal government needs to be giving them through the programs available to all American citizens is important. Fundraising for specific needs such as schools or local communities or senior housing needs to continue. Many of the large corporations doing business in Puerto Rico--especially hospitality businesses--need to get up and running again so jobs are available. All of the US needs to do what we can to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria.

Trump and the Republican Congress will pay for this horrible treatment of Americans at the ballot box.

10 out of 100 San Juan's mayor, Carmen Cruz, was asked what she thought of President Trump awarding himself a 10 for his efforts in helping PR recover after the hurricane. He's correct if it's 10 out of a 100 she responded. A response which has been born out by the contents of Sr. Morales article here.

It is sobering to consider how tenuous our artificially induced existence is. Early pioneers at least were able to take their fate in their own hands, now that right has been taken away too thanks to the dependency of modernization. One has to wonder really how well served by it we all are in the long run. And now it’s only getting worse thanks to the Big Five.

For those posting "but corruption" I think it might be a good idea to review the history. Yes, some Puerto Ricans were complicit in the power and money grab at the expense of ordinary people there, but it is typical of the kleptocracy to try to find places they can bend the rules, exploit an opportunity, and flee with the product of their fleecing. John Oliver did a good job on this if you are willing to look at the specifics instead of indulging in blanket condemnations. We in the US are becoming a similar banana republic as we enable our own kleptocrats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-mpuR_QHQ

The situation in Puerto Rico should be a national scandal. Why is not? Well, we have a president who has expressed anti-Latino views since the day he announced his candidacy; indeed in his announcement speech. Puerto Rico has been let down by the president, the Congress, the media and the people of the 50 states and D.C. Far from the 10 Trump gave himself, he deserves at best a 1 for his response. We have to start complaining more to everyone, lest we watch Puerto Rico descend into the third world to the everlasting shame of the the US.

Unless the people of Puerto Rico are granted the right to vote in the next presidential election, the current administration will do as little as possible. A two-person company is in charge of restoring power to the island. That says it all.

Thank you Ed Morales for this important piece. It is a glimpse into slow violence, abetted by gross neglect. What is at stake is the whole ecosystem-- lives, labor, everything. But keeping this visible means a lot, even as the vultures circle. Visibility is key.

I have lived in PR for 14 plus years, was here for Maria, and am still here now. I would like to add a bit to the limited perspective reflected in this article and readers' comments. While it's certainly true that the US has abused PR in myriad ways, few people realize, or seem willing to admit, how Puerto Ricans have exacerbated the many problems we face. For example, nearly all Puerto Ricans will agree that their government is deeply corrupt, at every level, and that the "publicaly owned" power and water authorities are bastians of corruption and incompetence. But, these same citizens can't be bothered to engage in politics in any meaninful way, and will just vote for the candidates of the party they and their family have always voted for regardless of policy. Most Puerto Ricans seem oblivious of environmental degradation, won't participate in recycling, will purchase the biggest truck or SUV they can get their hands on, and are generally indifferent to pollution of the beaches and natural Now, perhaps, as many argue, all this is the legacy of colonization, but, colonized or not, Puerto Ricans will never improve their lot until THEY take charge of those areas that are under their control and start changing the political landscape from the grassroots up. They could start by insisting that a significant portion the money spent to rebuild the grid go toward renewable energy projects, especially, tax credits for home installed solar.

This is what I went through too...a week wondering , a week trying to get down, shock and a tremendous sense of loss when I arrived (but much clapping when we landed, like when I was growing up), bringing my mom to the states, reluctantly, now she is cold and just wants to go home, and then the outrageous neglect of my govt still amazes me. Everything has changed, but I can’t even tell what the new normal will be.

And yet, for public relations reasons only, one of the companies which was on the ground working to bring light back to the darkened areas has had their contract canceled. Where is the sense of that?

Its not like PR was in good shape before the Hurricanes of 2017. Their Government borrowed crazy amounts of money, they couldn't repay, and were cutting costs right and left to avoid bankruptcy. So understand the infrastructure was barely adequate to start with. it will take time. plus they move on island time down there... We were on a generator for 5 weeks in Fla after Andrew, and it really took 2 years for things to get back to normal. and that was a very small region impacted with good road and infrastructure. The question is should we bail them out on all their finances, including the wall street borrowing the government spent/stole? Do we encourage foolish borrowing in the future? because Uncle Sam will bail you out?

Contrast the videos of San Juan mayor Carmen Cruz wading through brackish flood waters to help her constituents with the sight of President Donald Trump tossing rolls of paper towels to Puerto Ricans during his short visit. These are two entirely different people. The current situation in Puerto Rico reminds us of Naomi Klein's use of the term "disaster capitalism" in her explanation of what happens in places like Iraq after our invasion and occupation, and in New Orleans after Katrina. These devastations provide breeding grounds for private super-developers who zoom in to take advantage, often with government aid and funding. One can easily imagine Trump and his like-minded minions salivating over the vast acreage now left untended and uninhabited by US citizens of the island forced to relocate. The US military, yes, the same one that quickly build "green zones" to protect our occupying forces around the world, should be all over the island with water purifying systems, infrastructure repair and rebuilding efforts and better use of our hospital ships and medical delivery systems. Heckuva Job, Donny!

It is not neglect when someone knowingly does harm by ignoring their actions repeatedly. Trump is acting against the interests of our country at every turn and his actions in Puerto Rico is actively killing citizens. If you need a motive, think land grab by a hotelier who has casino owning friends. Trump is driving those who own prime beach property to want to cash out on the cheap . . . I wonder when the Republicans will finally wake up and see that Trump has ended their days in power and that he has personally compelled a, "yuge," wave of voters will sweep them out of congress and more . . .

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is only compounded by how many Americans don’t seem to care at all about the deplorable living conditions that still exist there. Where is the outrage that the federal government has virtually abandoned these US citizens, some who still have no fresh water and no electricity? Thank you to the NYT for continuing to cover this important story!

Most Americans dont even realize Puerto Rico is part of the United States. Trump's mindset is that we cant keep spending on PR because it will mess up the budget. I seem to remember portable housing brought in when homes were destroyed in New Orleans. How about radio linked communications? There is absolutely no reason these people have to go back to stone age conditions. This is inexcuseable. FEMA should be capable of these things. These people either need to be brought to the mainland, or given provisions for liveable housing, immediately.

From an objective standpoint of Puerto Rican citizens (who also hold US citizenship), anybody who can should get out and those who can probably will, especially the middle and upper class. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-puerto-ricans-are-coming/201... As has been already pointed out, the weak US federal response is resulting in or preparing the ground for massive migration. This will probably make the darkness permanent. The US would do well to invest in Puerto Rico and not just for hurricane repair in order to keep the island viable. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case.

Facts: In 119 years Puerto Rico has miserably failed under United States 'protection'. In 58 years Cuba has succeeded in spite of the United States.

Beautiful and depressing at the same time. If we were sane, we'd join with Richard Branson and Amory Lovins (funded by the Clinton Foundation) in keeping the lights on. This is a tremendous effort, and if we did this kind of thing worldwide we'd be a better human community, doing well by doing good: "How to Keep the Lights On After a Hurricane" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/opinion/hurricane-puerto-rico-electri...

It will be interesting to see what the post-maria exodus looks like: who will be cominh, who will be staying and how communities in the mainland and PR are affected. My mother , also from Santurce, may be one of a wave of elderly parents, like the author's, who is making the move here 'con las muelas de atras', with much regret and trepidation. For years my siblings and I, in NY, Illinois and North Carolina, had been tring to get her to relocate to no avail. On Friday she is coming with a one-way ticket to face her worst fears and perceptions: winter, 'gringo' culture and a quiet and bland suburban life. I love it but know how scary and difficult the transition will be at her age. It was for me at 36. Wish us luck!

The US govt. isn't properly responding to PR's disaster. It's just going through the motions - in slow motion. Here is a microcosm of how Puerto Rico is being helped. The Navy hospital ship Comfort was finally dispatched to San Juan nine days after Maria struck, and arrived four days later. So then what happened? It was "moored" offshore for weeks, which meant that patients had to be ferried for treatment. At any given time, the number of people being treated in this 1000-bed vessel was in the single digits. Eventually, someone had the brilliant idea of actually docking the ship to make access easier. (The only report of this I know of in the media was on the Rachel Maddow show).

Now we know why The Con Don and FEMA were so slow in helping Puerto Rico. It isn't just racism. They were trying to make sure their Robber Baron buddies got the contracts so they could stick it to us again. Good Job by the Mayor of San Jose for speaking out. She is one courageous woman and we need hundreds of thousands more like her in positions of top power in every societal segment in the world to put an end to constant destruction for profit. Balance through women and men sharing power equally is what will bring relative peace to the world and put the Robber Barons back in their place - the lowest common human denominator on the planet.

All Americans should feel shame about Puerto Rico and the lack of help there. One can only surmise that Trump considers PR and its inhabitants as unimportant because they do not count in elections and because they are not white. Hopefully, Puerto Ricans who move to the mainland will vote and then Trump may better appreciate the biblical phrase "As you sow, so shall you reap".

The indifference of the American government to the suffering of the people of Puerto Rico is typical of colonialism. The US has isolated and exploited them, turned the island into a petro chemical dumping ground and Navy target range and saddled them with $72 billion in debt, while not letting the impoverished American citizens there vote in Federal elections. Contrast Socialist Cuba, which had its power back in Havana after one week. The Cuban government offered to send doctors and a mobile hospital to help the people of Puerto Rico but the U.S.government refused.

America's response to it's own citizens is despicable and both the President and the sitting Congress should be mortified that this treatment happened on their watch. Puerto Rico is America, not that you'd know based on government assistance.

The Puerto Rican people have survived 119 years of colonial control by the United States. I hope we can survive the devastation caused by two hurricanes in the space of two weeks in the fateful month of September.

THE DEVASTATION Visited upon Puerto Rico is most extensive and profound. Adding insult to injury, Trump tweeted nasty nonsense about the Mayor of San Juan, who pleaded passionately for aid for those living in the city and across the island. Trump showed his true stripes with his total lack of empathy and remorse--symptoms of those with narcissistic personality disorders. On top of that, Trump exhibits behaviors consistent with severe impairment of memory, language and executive functions of the brain. Most humiliating were the images of Trump tossing paper towels to those who attended his televised meeting. Local culture includes many displays of affection, such as embracing and kisses on each cheek. So Trump's throwing objects at people from a distance sent a very clear message that he was unable to relate to their humanity. Contrasted with Obama's mingling with everyone at gathering, along with embracing and consoling those who suffered losses, showed powerfully that Trump disdains people. Clearly, his history of sexual assault on females that he himself described on the infamous video made with Billy Bush, show clearly that is motivation to interact with people is to direct violence toward them. Puerto Rico may be devastated, but the spirit of its people shines forth. While Trump's profound hatred of himself and others was also on display during his visit. He is a shameless coward who feigns humanity only when he thinks he can grab whatever he wants for himself.

Unless the Constitution is a suicide pact, what's happening now in Puerto Rico ia a potentially impeachable offense that Trump should be answering for.

The exodus of puerto ricin citizens to the mainland is going to have major political impact. Some red states will go purple, if not full-democrat blue.

This natural catastrophe has been exacerbated by neglect by our government and particularly by the President who, almost from the start, has implied that Puerto Rico is not deserving of the same type of assistance that Texas and Florida are receiving. But Puerto Rico is a US territory - Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917 - 100 years. Puerto Ricans serve in the military and pay taxes, and operate under laws set by the mainland, even grossly unfair regulations like the Jones Act, which increases prices for residents of the island, but benefits shipping magnates. When the US seized the island, it took ownership, even if it is now reneging on its responsibilities. This is a crime against humanity.

The awful devastation of Puerto Rico was a natural disaster but the United States government’s indifferent response to the lives, property and infrastructure is as clear as are the heart wrenching photos that describe the quality of life that now is the daily fare of 3 million American citizens. But instead of bemoaning their unhappy lot, the island’s people have rolled up their sleeves and got down to the business of putting their country back together as best they can, with or without outside help. Puerto Ricans are showing the world how a stricken country can get up off the deck, regroup and return to a semblance of normalcy without the luxuries of electricity, heat, diesel fuel, clean drinking water and decent food, to name but a few conveniences stateside Americans take for granted. In their personal tragedy, Puerto Ricans have come together for the common good of their battered communities even though the road to full recovery will take years. Thank you Joseph Rodriguez, for giving us a glimpse not only of the island’s destruction but also of the spirit and determination of the citizens of Puerto Rico who have chosen not to be victims of a terrible fate but to overcome the obstacles in their path. The current administration can learn something from these American citizens about being tough under fire and what the true meaning of character really is.