Maybe this is a good time to assess just how many people can reasonably live on the island. Another hurricane can come along in the next few years and cause havoc again. I don't blame any Puerto Rican from migrating to the mainland, either for leaving their "homeland" or taking advantage moving in their country where opportunity to progress exists. The federal government needs to step up to efforts to help these weather refugees make a new start on the mainland because our efforts on the island did not work well enough and we can't let our people down.
7
The amount of aid supplied to Puerto Rico was insufficient; for many, it is no longer possible to stay on the island. Florida and Houston received far more aid than Puerto Rico. Where’s the massive response from the Army Corps of Engineers? Where’s the food and water drops to areas cut off?
9
After the two hurricanes hit the sky was a pale grayish blue and the island was silent. You couldn't even hear birds singing, nor people talking nor cars. Not until well in the afternoon, something that had never happened before in the 24 years I lived there. Prompted by friends and family I came to Boston and am staying by a kind friend I consider family even though they are not from PR. My first month here was tough because I kept disassociating. The transition from survival (every day waking up, wondering how we could water and food that day and how I could get my cellphone charged so my brother in the U.S army could be let known that we were alright and still alive) to having all the commodities I once had before the hurricanes was like I was watching a movie and I was not in it, I was just the audience. I have been received by my friend with utmost kindness and love and today, after searching for work since day one I have been able to get an interview. I still think of home. I wonder if my mom is eating well, if she is able to buy the things she needs. If my friends are alright or sick. If the island will be okay soon and seeing news of how the debt is only increasing with the money being lent only makes me anxious. I want to go back and help but my field of study was Graphic Design. If I can't make a life there I don't know how it will be possible for me to go back...
6
No one said people from New Orleans should stay there when disaster happened. Why are Puerto Ricans different? Everyone has a right to work and study, with safe roads, electricity, healthcare and all basic necessities.
Just because they are Latino does not mean an engineer should quit work and start paving roads.
If a tree falls and electric supply to my neighborhood goes down, I expect PEPCO or the government to come and fix it, not my neighbors.
21
These people should move to FL and TX and turn the country blue forever.
22
It is easy for people to condem these young people for not staying, for they are not in their shoes. I'm sure it is mentally difficult for them. If i were living in Puerto Rico I would want my Childern to go the the United States and finish their education.
9
This article illustrates how mass immigration hurts feeder countries. It strikes a related note to a Times editorial of 2016 praising President Obama's decision to end special immigration privileges for Cubans. The editorial stressed how immigration to the United States has long served as a safety valve for the dictatorial communist regime in Cuba, a cogent argument the Times never seems to think of in relation to the corrupt oligarchical regime in Mexico.
Those who dream of a borderless world for migrants do so in denial of the costs to both sending and receiving countries.
This is not an argument for no immigration to the United States. The open border and the closed gate are both shallow, misguided causes. And, of course, Puerto Ricans are American citizens and should be free to exercise their rights to move anywhere in the U.S.
The plight of Puerto Rico and the guilty feelings of those who flee its struggle to rebuild do indicate, I suggest, that moderating America's current record immigration rates may be in the interest of progress in sending countries as well as more social, economic, and racial justice in the U.S. labor market. West African countries, for example, need their nurses even more than American hospitals do.
As for Puerto Rico, the U.S. federal government can and should be doing a lot more to help the commonwealth rebuild.
6
Why does anyone think individual residents of Puerto Rico are any more personally responsible for the hurricane recovery than the individual residents of Texas, Louisiana, or Florida? When tens of thousands of people were displaced from New Orleans by Katrina, no one demanded they return for the clean up. Instead, Louisiana and Mississippi received billions in federal aid, even though both states already received for more federal money than they paid in taxes.
24
Are we supposed to feel sympathy for those abandoning Puerto Rico? They seem to be okay with sticking it to the rest of us for recovery.
2
Talk about sticking it to the rest of us, Texas has a 10 Billion dollar rainy day fund but have their hand out for hurricane recovery money.
11
What is this picture of the couple rowing a boat???
1
Slightly staged? Just guessing.
2
As for any Puerto Rican who leaves or will leave the island at least for now, there can be no possible criticism when they have been abandoned by government. By all means build here, the problem in Puerto Rico is a long lack of government support and especially so when such support is immediately and sorely needed.
7
Essentially we have been turning away from the needs of Puerto Ricans for years and the turning away has become abandoning. How sad, how neglectful of us.
8
Seems to me they aren't fleeing so much as being driven out of Puerto Rico. What choice do Puerto Ricans really have?
10
I posited last week that Trump and Company WANT citizens from PR to leave so they can profit from rebuilding. I might be right!
In Barbuda there is conflict about people who want to return to their way of life and the government and "foreign investors". (See today's NY Times video.)
3
This was an excellent short documentary and really captured the heart of the problems facing Antigua and Barbuda--well done! I completely understand where the Barbudans are coming from; the island is unspoiled and unique,and although development can help, it could also wreak havoc if done thoughtlessly. Prime Minister Brown makes some good points, and one does not envy the tough spot he is in, but everyone involved knows his government is corrupt, he has been selling off land to political cronies, even land that is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. How can anyone trust him under these circumstances? The old standby of cruise ships and resorts have limited value in the long run--sustainable tourism does not, but greed and short-term solutions always seem to win out in these scenarios. Meanwhile, the Barbudans are stuck in limbo, some of whom are descendants of the slaves who once lived there--we're talking multiples of generations here. Thoughtful sustainable tourism could work on both Antigua and Barbuda, but under the current administration, it's questionable. My heart goes out to this nation and its people.
2
Mostly true but in wrong comment section
1
Move into a purple district and turn it blue. Help get rid of the Republicans who have turned their backs on you.
67
I hear Dayton, OH or Cleveland are wonderful places to live. The same goes for Tallahassee, Florida. Other sources tell me that Milwaukee is very welcoming to new residents. Property is cheap in Detroit and that city is on the rise.
Whatever swing state you decide to move to, please register to vote. And please also remember to run for office--the school board, the assembly positions, City Dogcatcher--whatever is on the ballot. We need you. Please stay and help the rest of the US help Puerto Rico.
57
Cleveland must sound pretty back-water to you, but in fact, it is a Democratic and union stronghold, and blue blue blue.
If you wanted to change outcomes in the state of Ohio....you'd head to much more conservative Cincinnati.
When the going gets tough, the weak willed hit the road. No wonder Puerto Rico was bankrupt even before the hurricane. The people who could make a difference economically are looking out only for themselves.
11
Sure. Put down those books, grab a monkey wrench, and bring electricity to your town. Anyone can do it! No clean water? Will power! Problem pregnancy? Dysentery? Fell off a power pole? We've no medical care for you, our fellow citizens: the strong survive!
7
Weak willed? So easy to cast armchair criticism from within peaceful White Plains. Have you experienced politically inspired and worsened natural disasters lately when you were forced to drink polluted water, or die of thirst and be without power for over months because your government on the mainland failed you and your community? Just wondering.
9
Yeah, kind of like the English, Irish, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, etc. settlers who came to the USA before it became a rogue state. Did I mention your ancestors? Why did they "hit the road"? For me, it was the Potato Famine, conscription in stupid wars, onerous taxes by the King, no opportunities. You are blaming these people? Look in the mirror!
9
This is nothing more than forced gentrification by natural disaster. It is a time honored and tried and true strategy by the rich\conglomerates)
A natural disaster occurs ( innumerable examples all over the world ) and then the ''clean up'' begins. ( if there is any at all )
Invariably the costs have back door deals and strings attached, where the communities cannot hope to pay back the crushing debt that amounts. Prices for everything rise ( especially real estate and rents ) and the occupants are forced to flee or move, because there is no longer infrastructure to support them.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
3
Unfortunate for Puerto Rico, but their loss is Floridas gain, which will be enriched and benefit from their spirit, work and energy. And watch Florida go Consistently democrat when the Puerto Ricans see what not done by this administration for their beautiful island.
26
I've never lived in PR or in an area with a lot of people from there, but I had a lovely neighbor in Maryland a few decades ago who gave me a hint of what a lovely place it was. If the callousness of our government leads to an increased migration from there to here, I would say, based on my experience with this elderly widow, that we in the mainland US are the winners. The people interviewed for this article seem to confirm that (admittedly unscientific) impression.
10
Not much has been reported about the severe increase in crime in PR.
It has become very dangerous in certain areas. Mr. Franceschini speaks briefly about safety issues and how scared he was. If I were young, especially a woman, I'd leave too. The future looks very bleak and precarious in PR.
22
The social and economic paralysis of Puerto Rico has damaged the island beyond repair in the political spectrum as well.
It has made it difficult to open a path to statehood, never mind independence, and has damaged its status and good name as a commonwealth. I cannot see how a polarized US Congress can come to the help of those who stay behind and hope.
But who knows? When thousands of Puerto Ricans start to make a difference in America with their votes of retribution, the political Karma could awaken the sleeping Washington bureaucratic giant.
27
Trump is quietly abandoning PR so what choice do these people have? The holdouts should wise up and get moving to the mainland.
30
So the massive debt that Puert Rico defaulted on is Trump’s fault? Please tell me what the 10,000 power company employees actually do.
2
Yes, because the president has sole power to fix the crisis...
3
And vote out Trump and his followers ASAP.
11
Any time there is a problem, people have two basic alternatives. They can either stay and help solve the problem, or they can run away from it to a more comfortable place. It matters not if the problem is a hurricane in Puerto Rico, and earthquake in Haiti, a change in the government in Libya, or a bad marriage at home, one can fix or flee.
8
And the US is the home of generations of flee-ers. That is the true immigration experience from the conquistadores to the Pilgrims to today. And also all those urbanites who fled the sticks for the jobs and glamour of city living. We are a nation founded upon running away and starting over. The fixers didn't come here; they stayed to fix or die trying. I think that is called patriotism sometimes. What we all did is more likely to be called upward mobility or just survivalism. Unless, of course, you are speaking as a Native American.
5
This is nothing more than forced gentrification by natural disaster. It is a time honored and tried and true strategy by the rich\conglomerates)
A natural disaster occurs ( innumerable examples all over the world ) and then the ''clean up'' begins. ( if there is any at all )
Invariably the costs have back door deals and strings attached, where the communities cannot hope to pay back the crushing debt that amounts. Prices for everything rise ( especially real estate and rents ) and the occupants are forced to flee or move, because there is no longer infrastructure to support them.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
11
Puerto Ricans who fled should not feel guilty.
President Trump should.
78
Oh, did he create the corrupt government of Puerto Rico?
5
Oh, so only Puerto Rico has a problem with corruption?
4
Why? Did he cause Hurricane Maria? Did he cause the decades of corruption, incompetence, and neglect in the Puerto Rican government that led to the epic failures of their infrastructure when the storm hit?
1
If the Puerto Ricans who live in Puerto Rico do not want to stay and rebuild their homes, who will? The US mainlanders see this and are very turned off. Not a good representation of self help. The picture of the couple as tourists in the park says it all.
14
Why don't you try to live for 68 days (and counting) without power and potable water in 80+ degree weather? Don't fault people for doing what's right for themselves.
29
Easy for you to say. They have nothing to rebuild their homes with. Including no passable roads, reliable food supplies, or working electricity. This US mainlander is certainly not turned off by seeing people flee unlivable conditions. Nobody should have to stay in a place where conditions are unlivable and unsafe.
25
The United States should have supplied much more help. The death toll is much higher than originally reported, and the only way to stay on the island would be to do without necessities—food, water, and power. Many Puerto Ricans who left wanted to stay and help rebuild but had no chance; the assistance provided was, and is, far too little.
10
These guys may miss the island. I doubt if it misses them.
This is not a new situation. PR was devastated before and it took 6 months to recover. A well-run govt. would have had contingency plans in place and emergency supplies in depots around the island. Florida strengthened its infrastructure after Hurricane Andrew, and the results are easy to appreciate. PR did no such thing and the people are paying the price. Maybe they need to appreciate how fragile the "good life" can be and do something about it for next time.
4
Are you blaming PR for the situation? A place the US has systematically treated like an afterthought, denied the benefits they help fund with taxes for years -
yes a well-run govt, wold have done more in advance for all their citizens and a more honorable one would have responded quickly to this current disaster.
9
Yes, let's blame the millions of victims, Daedalus...who were NOT responsible for the problem.
Trump-Pence 2020?
2
Oh please. This is an island that has avoided becoming a US State whenever offered the opportunity. Libertad has a price. Yes they have been exploited. But don't blame the current DC incumbents for this fiasco. It's your typical banana republic outcome with US trappings. There's no comparison with Florida or Texas because you can't drive to PR, nor can airlifts bring in enough to make a difference. Going by ship takes time and money that nobody at either end was prepared to spend. Until you get a grip on real logistics, not idealistic posturing, you will never be able to comment on these situations.
1
Some of the best and brightest are leaving the island. I only hope that many will return to help Puerto Rico in its long journey to recovery.
9
Puerto Rico is a wonderful place to visit. I would go back in a heartbeat once the island has recovered a bit..,although this may not be for many years.
In a way, the US Virgin Islands are relatively lucky. There was a lot less to destroy in these small islands, so it will take less time to recover.
But history has never been on either Puerto Rico's or the USVI's side.
Of course, many Puerto Ricans would like to live on "la isla del encanto."
But it's probably not a very practical choice for most Puerto Ricans, especially younger people.
13
They will be valuable contributors in the continental U.S.
Perhaps isolated islands subject to devastating hurricanes should be gradually abandoned? They were settled at a time of subsistence agriculture and then a few export crops like sugar. It may not make economic sense to try to maintain modern infrastructure in such places.
There is precedent for this: the population of the Hebrides is a tiny fraction of what it was 200 years ago, when it was supported by gathering kelp (by hand) as a chemical feedstock.
14
Perhaps cities and coastal areas prone to devastation by hurricanes and flooding should be gradually abandoned? Particularly those that still build in low-lying areas and have few regulations for new development? These places have historically been decimated periodically, yet are continually rebuilt. Maybe it's time to throw in the towel on gulf coast cities such as Galveston, Houston New Orleans, and smaller towns in Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. At the very least, perhaps the government could cease insuring and rebuilding these areas.
4
Your suggestion has a certain sense to it. But I woildn't want to be the one to have to convince someone else to abandon a beloved home.
2
Puerto Rico an isolated island? What on earth are you talking about? The Hebrides compared to Puerto Rico, gathering kelp, and comparing to a complex, and vast, industrial economy? Next time you take your pills at night, google where they're manufactured--and be ready to be surprised. What's next to compare it with, a rock in the middle of the Atlantic? No modern infrastructure for "those" places? Think about it some more. It was the lack of a modern infrastructure, due to economic failures largely beyond the Puerto Ricans' control (e.g., NAFTA and U.S. decisions to pull the rug from under the economic model, the end of the Cold War, etc.) Oh, and by the way, most of it is in Spanish because the conquest of its indigenous people happened 100 years before Plymouth. There's plenty for you to read and learn before you pass (totally inane) judgments like these.
5