Four months after Maria, still desperate in Puerto Rico
No power usually means no hot meals and no refrigeration. It means no air conditioning in tropical heat that is already breaching the 80s.
And that's all far better than it was in recent weeks.
The island's disaster was more far-reaching than some of the worst ever seen on the mainland. More than three times as many generators were provided by
The odds were stacked against the island long before hurricane winds swirled. A decadelong recession has prompted a stream of migration away from the island. With the economy faltering after a repeal of a federal corporate tax break, successive governments borrowed excessively and the island is now tens of billions of dollars in debt -- which has led to a federal control board demanding austerity.
Mismanagement caused deep cracks in infrastructure. There were bad local decisions after the storm. The
Meantime, the federal response has been scandalously inadequate. It started with early logistical stumbles like delayed opening of ports, slowing the delivery of supplies. President
The inadequate response continued until today, with an omnibus
And the future looks dire: The Republican tax bill disadvantages
But the devastation requires a wider response. Today in
Also needed: a waiver for the portion of disaster response for which
Beyond the bills,
There is hope for
Many Puerto Ricans see the disaster as an opportunity to rebuild smartly. Better bridges can span rivers, roads will be cleared and improved, and tourism will again flourish with New Yorkers and others hopping on cruise ships and flights, sustaining the economy as
But to do so, the island needs more help, and more recognition by
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