The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Strong storm leaves Puerto Rico in ruins
Damage, flooding rain, debt crisis rack island
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Puerto Rico remained in the throes of chaos and devastation Thursday as the remnants of Hurricane Maria continued to dump rain on the island — up to 3 feet in some areas.
Flash flood warnings persisted, according to the National Hurricane Center, with “catastrophic” flooding “especially in areas of mountainous terrain.”
The strikingly powerful storm had left an estimated 3.4 million people without power, and with the territory’s energy grid all but destroyed, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló predicted a long period of recovery. Anxious relatives in the mainland U.S. and elsewhere took to social media in an effort to find news of their loved ones.
Puerto Rico faces numerous obstacles as it begins to emerge from the storm: the weight of an extended debt and bankruptcy crisis; a recovery process begun after Hurricane Irma, which killed at least three people and left nearly 70 percent of households without power; the difficulty of getting to an island far from the mainland; and the strain on relief efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other groups already spread thin in the wake of several recent storms.
“Irma gave us a break, but Maria destroyed us,” said Edwin Serrano, a construction worker in Old San Juan.
The storm churned off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic as a Category 3 hurricane Thursday, and the National Hurricane Center issued warnings for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos.
Forecasters say Puerto Rico will see about 2 feet of rain by today, with as much as 35 inches in places. Storm surges were expected to raise water levels as much as 6 feet in the Dominican Republic.
There is significant con- cern about the expected
“life-threatening” storm surge of 9 to 12 feet in the
Turks and Caicos and Bahamas, according to Michael
Brennan of the National Hurricane Center.
The death toll from Hurricane Maria had risen to at least 15 on the small Caribbean island of Dominica, according to Prime Minister
Roosevelt Skerrit. Two people were also killed on the
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Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of the House of Representatives, told CNN on Thursday that the island appeared to have been “dev- astated,” with power lines lying on the ground and rivers flowing over bridges.
González-Colón, who spentcaneing added powerin that mucha closet,the was of governor crucial,saidthe restor- hurri-had but a estimatedtricity island. month backSheor that more suggestedfor it the couldto get whole elec-take that withoutof residentsthe pumpswith electricity, runningthat suppliedmany water would Complicatingnot be functioning. matters, more than 95 percent of the island’s wireless cell sites were out of service, said Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Ricardo Ramos, chief executive of the govern- ment-owned Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, told CNN on Thursday that the island’s power infrastructure had been basi- cally “destroyed.” Residents and business owners in the Condado area of San Juan began to trickle into the streets Thursday to assess the havoc. Joggers ran past what resembled a beachside battlefield. Bikers pedaled slowly, taking in the overwhelming damage. Condado, the tourist district of the island that has seen a reawakening of sorts with the opening of new hotels and restaurant chains over the last couple of years, was ravaged. Windows were blown out in the apartment buildings and hotels that line the prom- enade. A restaurant lost its roof. Parque del Indio, a pop- ular seaside park for skaters and joggers, was blanketed with sand and water. In Old San Juan, which like most of the island was with- out reliable cell service, peo- ple were thirsty for informa- tion. At Plaza de Armas, residents sat on benches and stoops to share what infor- mation they had. Those with radios were tuning into the only station broadcasting in the entire island.
Cristina Cardalda, 55, had just gotten her first phone call since Maria hit — it was her cousin in Florida check- ing in.
“I haven’t heard anything from anyone,” she said.
For Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland, the tragic news coming from the island was magnified by the fact that many of them have been unable to get in touch with friends and relatives, given the sharp blow that Hurricane Maria dealt to the island’s communications infrastructure.
“We’re all anxious, we’re all desperately seeking infor- day among those watching mation and we’re all on call from afar. It was a feeling of to help Puerto Rico and give “impotence,” said Eliezer it whatever it needs,” said Vélez, 44, of Atlanta. David Galarza Santa, 48, a Vélez, who works for the Brooklyn, N.Y., resident who Atlanta-based Latin Amerisaid he has been unable to can Association, said that he reach his family in the munic- was hoping to get in touch ipality of Florida, west of San with his mother, two brothJuan, since noon Wednesday. ers and a number of uncles
But Galarza was optimisand cousins. He said a sister tic that his family there, who lives on the island was including his father and two able to send him a message older sisters, were doing through WhatsApp on Thurswell, in part because they day morning; she relayed had all hunkered down at that everyone was OK. his father’s sturdy cement “We’re praying for them house. He also noted that and hoping for the best,” Puerto Ricans were old hands Vélez said. “It’s really sad when it came to surviving that you’re here, but your devastating storms. mind and your heart are
More than 5 million Puerto on the island. We are here, Ricans live on the U.S. main- but we belong there. I canland, more than the popu- not describe the frustration lation of the island itself, that I’m not there.” and the worry and stress were widely shared Thurs-