Here’s Why You’re Not Hearing Enough About the Destruction in Puerto Rico Brianna Provenzano - Mic
go to original September 27, 2017

Trump Is Destroying Puerto Rico | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann (GQ)

Update: How to Help Puerto Rico Recover from Hurricane Maria - and Get the U.S. Government to Do the Same (Lifehacker)

Nearly one week after Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico, leveling towns and decimating agricultural systems, reports from the tiny U.S. territory have been dire — and scarce.

With the island’s energy infrastructure demolished and vital resources like food, medicine and potable water in short supply, journalists’ ability to transmit news to and from the most hard-hit areas has been impeded. But according to residents on the ground who have been able to get in touch with reporters, the prognosis is grim.

“The devastation in Puerto Rico has set us back nearly 20 to 30 years,” Jenniffer González-Coló, resident commissioner, told the Associated Press. “I can’t deny that the Puerto Rico of now is different from that of a week ago.”

Here are some of the biggest challenges journalists have faced in reporting the biggest humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico’s history — and what you can do to stay up-to-date with all the latest information.



According to the Atlantic, fewer than 250 of Puerto Rico’s 1,600 cellphone towers are currently functional, making communication with remote areas nearly impossible.

While contact with residents in major metropolitan areas like San Juan has been easier, Atlanta resident Silkia Babilonia told NPR on Friday that she still hadn’t been able to get in touch with friends and family on the island’s west side.

... But cellphone service isn’t the only thing that’s been wiped out in the wake of Maria’s high-powered winds. According to the most recent reports, damage to the island’s infrastructure has been “apocalyptic” in some areas, with entire roads washed away and debris blocking access to some of the more isolated regions.

Read the rest at Mic

Related: Puerto Rico Needs Massive Emergency Aid Now - and an End to Austerity (The Nation)

Related: If Trump Were Really President, He’d Forgive Puerto Rico’s Debts and Rescue It (GlobalResearch)

Related: It's Time to Overcome Corporate Donor Fatigue and Step Up for Puerto Rico (Chicago Tribune)

Related: Trump Tweeted 80 Times Since Maria Hit Puerto Rico. How Many Were About the Storm? 6 (Upworthy)

Related: UNICEF Expands Relief Efforts in Latin America and Caribbean After Month of ‘Relentless’ Natural Disasters (UN News Centre)

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