Flip the switch

Months ago, with Puerto Rico still burying its dead from Hurricane Maria, its governor, Ricardo Rosselló, said he expected 95% of the island’s power to be restored by Dec. 15. Check your calendar. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced this week that just 61% of the island had electricity back. The rest isn’t expected to get it restored until May.

That will add up to eight long months of darkness, frustration and veritable Third World living for our fellow American citizens — the longest blackout in the history of the nation.

Meantime, an estimated 300,000 Puerto Ricans have fled their homes for the mainland since the storm hit.

Rebuilding a grid after such total devastation is no simple task. But the feds lost precious time by first giving the contract to a connected firm with no experience. The new company in charge, Louis Berger, has about 900 people on the ground and is working closely with federal officials.

Making matters more complex, Puerto Rico’s energy authority is $9 billion in debt, and was epically dysfunctional long before the storm.

If contractors, territorial officials and the Trump administration don’t find a way to get it together, and soon, Puerto Ricans will continue to leave.

At least the last person off the island won’t have to turn out the lights.