As we have seen, Puerto Rico is and has always been affected by natural disasters because of its geographical location. The most recent one, Hurricane Maria, caused major damage last year (2017) so that the country is not yet equipped to withstand another major hurricane, and if it does it will be even more unstable. Climate change will allow more natural disasters to occur at a more frequent rate because of how these disasters grow when introduced to warmer weathers. The increase in heat caused by climate change will allow hurricanes to be formed more frequently and potentially hit Puerto Rico once again, up to this date, the power grid of the island is yet to be fully restored and it had already been damaged for more than a decade. If hurricanes become more powerful due to the global mean temperature increase, then the island will stand little chance of overcoming further natural disasters. Alongside its geographical location the island has great financial debt, and it has lost about 30% of its power grid employees which is a major cause of why it has taken so long to rebuild the power lines since the previous hurricane. Mitigations for this would be, for starters, outside help – since the debt ridden Puerto Rico is unable to improve it’s infrastructure and lessen the blow of future hurricanes. Unlike previous years when the island had external help, this year the US decided it will not intervene, which was a major blow for the island. When hurricanes increase in their force due to the change in global temperature, the island will, little by little, destabilize and will no longer be able to support its inhabitants unless outside parties intervene and provide help for them.
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Abby Luby March 15, 2023
2 Responses
A great informative piece about Hurricane Maria in Puerto rico .
Climate change does play a role when it involves hurricanes at most and can lead to an increase in a hurricane’s intensity and the overall outcome of the storm. The cost of repairs are immense. But the impact it has on the country doesn’t solely just depend on the financial outcome but on a personal level. People face personal issues such as the . number of deaths and damaged homes, which has led most to apply for national flood insurance program. Warmer ocean temperatures can lead to an unpredictable disasters.
Hopefully in time , Puerto Rico will fully recover from this situation created by the very destructive Hurricane Maria. PR’s experience should bring all countries into a conversation about climate chabge and how it plays a role with hurricanes in the Carribean and islands.
It really is a tragedy of what happens to Puerto Rico and all of the surrounding nations every time there is a big natural event. There really is not anyone to blame to something like a hurricane. I am torn whenever I hear about all the disasters being faced to the south of us. I have many friends who are from the islands around there and it is hard to hear them talk about not knowing what happened to their families. I can only imagine what is happening back there when experiencing a disaster. Losing a large chunk of your employees who specially help to rebuild is a big loss and it does not help if the U.S. does not get involved, which may be controversial, but i believe if you can help, you should help. As in I know by myself I cannot do anything, between school and work. But the U.S. can definitely send some people who are able and willing to help.