The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season have been one of the most overwhelming periods for natural disasters to many countries, especially Caribbean island nations. As we have seen, the pass of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria have also caused massive damage to the North American continent. The States of Texas and Florida suffered catastrophic flooding, infrastructure and property damage costing the United States of America billions of dollars. Harvey could be the costliest disaster in U.S history. The U.S can recover thanks to the help of federal funding and resources in their possession, but what about undeveloped Caribbean islands?
One of the most affected islands in the Caribbean was Puerto Rico. After receiving a lot of damage from Hurricane Irma, Puerto Rico was hit right after by Hurricane Maria which intensified the damage from the previous hurricane. Almost the whole island is without power and thousands of people have lost their houses due to the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Maria. As of today, 10 people have been found dead and the number may rise when more reports come in. According to The Washington Post, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz from Puerto Rico urges others to help the island. People are without medication, drinking water or food. These reports have reached Puerto Ricans in the U.S and a lot of organizations and Puerto Rican celebrities have come together to send help to these people in need. Even the House Speaker of the US promises aid to the victims in Puerto Rico. According to officials, it will take approximately three weeks for hospital to regain power and about six months for the rest of the country to have electricity.
It is at moments like this that humanity comes together to help each other and we must donate and help those in need.
Photo Credit: AP
5 Responses
Thanks for posting this; it’s very troubling that PR is still without power and the official death count is still unknown, but feared very high. I was hoping you’d mention these hurricanes and how they are impacted by climate change/sea level rise. Perhaps you might consider making that connection in your next post.,
Abby
President Trump’s response to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria came 6 days after the hurricane- 6 days too late. He is completely insensivite to the Puerto Rican disaster. His policy decision to focus on the terrible state of the electric grid and the debt owed previously by Puerto Rico translates to creating excuses to not contribute as many resources as was put towards to rebuilding areas struck by natural disasters in the Continental United States.
This is a great call for assistance in such a devastating time. For many if they don’t directly see or experience the results of a hurricane they can forget about the aid needed. I believe that in addition to giving monetary donations and goods, there needs to be assistance in rebuilding infrastructure that is both sustainable and could withstand future natural disasters. When rebuilding, while speed is important and a key component, thinking about the future and taking preventative measures is what we need to do. Thank you for this reminder that the effects are still being felt.
You bring up an important point that the US is lucky to have the resources to help recover from natural catastrophes while underdeveloped areas like the Caribbean Islands do not. When you say that is it important for humanity to come together and donate to help those in need, are you talking about monetary assistance? I think an additional way of helping these islands is to target the root cause, climate change. I do agree, however, that given the current situation, extending a helping hand is a fine remedy.
It is always important to remember that during this time aid from outside foreign powers should not remove the agency from the people of the PR. In the past os has been the case that the USA has moved into Caribbean islands and taken over the recovery effort. While this move to assist people affected by hurricanes it isn’t always what is wanted/needed. When the earthquake hit Haiti back in 2010 the US moved in a took over all of the airports to provide “aid” to the people of the island. This ended up immobilizing the citizens and in turn wasn’t very helpful.