A lone car provides the only source of light in the devastated Puerto Rico city of Utuado.
In the wake of Hurricane Maria’s wrath, Puerto Rico remains devastated. Newest reports from the island territory now show that the number of residents without clean drinking water and electricity continues to rise, despite humanitarian efforts.
Puerto Rico’s government has reported that roughly 10 percent of the islands 3.4 million United States citizens are without electricity Tuesday morning, an increase of about six percent from Monday.
Yesterday, 84% of people in Puerto Rico had no power (per govt stats on status.pr).
Today, it's gone up, to 90% without power. pic.twitter.com/5WnCA8mrhf
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 11, 2017
The island’s electrical grid was all but completely destroyed during Hurricane Maria, and many are still struggling without the most basic of necessities. This news comes just one day after Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rossello asked the federal government for an additional $4.6 billion in funding beyond the Trump administration’s request last week for $29 billion from Congress for relief efforts.
“Puerto Rico has experienced a natural disaster of a magnitude not seen in over a century, and we are doing everything possible to address the needs of the American citizens of Puerto Rico during this time of crisis,” Rosselló wrote. “However, the unprecedented level of destruction, coupled with the almost complete shut-down of business in Puerto Rico, have made it impossible for us to meet the considerable human needs without the measures proposed above,” he added.
The White House also announced Monday that it would allow a 10-day waiver temporarily blocking the Jones Act to expire. This is devastating news for those living in Puerto Rico, as foreign ships can no longer bring aid to the hurricane-ravaged island from U.S. ports.
Officials still expect it to be six more months before electricity can be fully restored to Puerto Rico. As the days have become weeks, the weeks will become months, and survival will get more difficult.
Many are now fleeing to the mainland United States just so that they can survive. The economy in Puerto Rico is at a standstill, and without clean drinking water, many are finding life too difficult should they remain on the island and isolated.
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Mac, I see that 10% are without power and 90% are without power. Which is correct?
the increase of people without power are the ones not paying their power bill and getting cut off!!!
Many of the residents said they did have preps and they were prepared but that the preps got destroyed in the 140 mph winds and in the flooding as well. Daisy Luther did a great article on that last week, about how we can prep but our preps get destroyed.
And there was Trump last week throwing rolls of paper towels to a desperate crowd like a dog owner tossing a bunch of dog treats out to his hungry dogs. Shameful.
There was an element of insensitivity and cruelty in that scene. I know if I were in that crowd after people died, lost their homes, and many were starving with no clean water to drink, cook and bath, and all the stresses they are going through I would have been deeply offended at the paper towel toss.
But we voted for an entertainer and well, we got an entertainer. That’s about all he is, nothing more, nothing less. He has this “Let them eat cake” attitude.
The story of the three little pigs applies. Everyone in PR with a house of straw or sticks is homeless. Not Trumps fault.
Everyone who built in low lying areas was flooded out and is homeless. Not Trumps fault.
You must have missed the press release. Everything is Trump’s fault.
Probably because it was in Spanish.
todo es culpa del Trump.
PTPO No one said their homes falling apart was Trump’s fault. Stop twisting the facts with your fake news reporting here.
The PR hurricane winds were as strong as 160mph by the time the hurricane made landfall on the island. Consider yourself fortunate that your house could sustain those winds. There’s couldn’t and didn’t.
It wasn’t Trump’s fault and no one is saying it was. That’s all in your head. The issue was that people were disappointed and angry that Trump’s cavalier reaction lacked real empathy.
Well, obviously, Puerto Ricans are not the “right color” according to Trump… the ban was lifted IMMEDIATELY for Texas and Florida hurricane victims! Wish I never voted for the bastard! He’s worse than Bush!!
From the book, “One Second After”, they said it would take about a year to restore the power grid after an EMP event and during that one year time period, about 90% of the population would die… so doesn’t that mean that about 40% of the population in Puerto Rico will die if it takes 6 months to restore the power grid??/ That is unconscionable for Trump to be so f— stingy!!! what if it was HIS family??!!
Anonymous, Trump HATES Hispanics. He looks down on them. He doesn’t care if they are South American or Cuban or Mexican or Puerto Rican, he HATES Hispanics. Hope that answers your question.
The island and the economy was in the toilet before the hurricane hit. Too much graft, corruption and crime in the PR. That’s not Trump’s fault.
Sour grapes much?
You people who put this bullshit out there just make yourselves look stupid
“Well, obviously, Puerto Ricans are not the “right color” according to Trump …….”
Care to back that statement up with some real world statement by Trump?
Double dog dare ya’.
NB You of all people shouldn’t be calling others stupid, you’re the stupidest one on here. You should change your screen name to Headbanger cause I think you banged your head too much. You’re a hard-nosed mean s.o.b. and contribute nothing here, just hatred, attacking people with your endless hatred. BTW, Trump doesn’t give a shit about you or yours, just saying.
NB calls everyone stupid, yet he lives on a volcanic rock. Sort of gives the game away about who is stupid, doesn’t it?
A lot of PR’s didn’t have electricity or it was spotty for YEARS prior to being hit by the Hurricane. Cry me a fucking river. Their Government squandered their citizens tax money. Anyone wishing to live on a island in the Carribean should expect no less.
Prepare now. Not as it happens. Gubmint ain’t gonna take care of nobody.
Since you are not an electrician or a linesman why don’t you stick it were the sun doesn’t shine! Just how much do you think President Trump can do. It will take months to rebuild the grid, the same grid that powers all the water and sewer plants. The same grid that powers all the lights! Your kind of hostile retoric is the problem. Not the job that the president is doing!
Yep…. Robert, I’ve been an electrician at a locomotive shop for 25+ years, and I’ve done a bit of line and pole work… you’re absolutely correct about the mindset of most people – I always hear: hey, all you’re doing is connecting a couple of wires… right?”.
People see something in their mind and think it only takes a couple of seconds or minutes to do the job…. it’s the same everywhere.
I suspect that the grid down there in PR is decades old – and, the older a system is – the more worn it becomes and easier to wipe out in high winds… given the landscape and damage plus the difficulty of getting to the damaged areas PLUS actually trying to get any work done – yea, I can easily see it taking months if not a couple of years depending on how many guys you still have willing to do the work – especially if there’s no money involved…. given the fact that the government is absolutely broke, where’s the money going to come from? So many things involved…. but, hey, we’re only reconnecting a couple of wires – right! LOL get a reality check people – you think it’s so easy – you do it!
According to a 2015 census estimate, 75.8% of the people in Puerto Rico are white.
So, tell us exactly what are the “wrong” and “right” colors?
I’m surprised you spelled “Anonymous” correctly.
Archivist, Trump doesn’t know that 75% are white, he has no idea and he can’t stand anyone who isn’t white.
Yes, everybody dies when there is no electricity. Just look at history….Everybody up to about the year 1910 had a cause of death of no electricity…..
What? is that wrong? you mean people can actually survive without electricity? Like all through out history?
Shocked, I am shocked to hear that.
Don’t worry they will all be in Big Haiti also known as Miami Florida soon.
No matter what happens in Puerto Rico the dems will make sure Trump gets all the blame to affect the 2018 elections. If it weren’t PR it would be anything or everything. With no infrastructure it will take months if not years to fix. Same on the mainland.
The Dems forget…. NOBODY gives a flying sh!t about Puerto Rico.
Number Of Puerto Rico Residents Without Clean Water And Electricity Keeps Rising.
How can that be after the second Hurricane hit everyone on the island was out of electricity?
There is no way after this amount of time that there are more people out of clean water. Fake News at its best.
Sgt.
Why is it when anyone else has a disaster they immediately have their hands out to us but when we have one the world is silent. Fix yer own shit MF’ers!
“G”
I agree!!!!
Sgt.
???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4gCt1rUEpE
this is a very good illustration for all preppers.
glean what you can from PR and make sure it doesn’t happen at your house, BOL, etc.
Same with Venezuela.
One reason why I like oversea containers. Can’t be blown away, burned, hard to break into (if you have a lock box). Underground cellars are great too. You can huff and puff and blow my house down but I will still be just fine.
Genius,
I have a 40 foot insulated container.
It was a Maersk refrigeration container for shipping
frozen food.
I installed windows, sliding glass door,
Cermaic tile floor, and furnishings.
I refer to it as the studio, It has an area
to build models, sleep, and surf the Web.
I want to emphasize is that it is insulated.
Regular un-insulated containers are really
miserable. Ovens in summer and freezers in
winter.
If any preppers out there want to do containers
get Reefer units. You lose some volume to the
dead refrigeration unit, but the insulation is
well worth it.
Keep in mind you should not bury these things.
Roofs are very weak.
Buddy of mine has one like that, he took out the refer unit and thats where his poloma and electrical panel sit
relik, I agree. I have a section of mine walled off and insulated with an underground 4 inch pipe 30 feet long force fed with dual 12 volt computer fans coming up through the floor and a 3 inch exhaust fan toward the top and 3/8 holes drilled in all the inward ribs to cool it. The whole area is insulated with foil backed styrofoam and bubble foil style heat shielding. It works well and in winter will prevent freezing too. Refer units are kinda pricey too. I painted the entire roof with henry’s ultra white solar reflective paint as well as the unseen side and end and screwed T-111 siding to the visible side and painted it to match the area. Painting it with the solar white paint will make a huge difference in temp. The thing I like about it vs. a cellar is the humidity is low and you don’t get mold etc.
Having windows or any other opening greatly increases the risk of someone breaking in though. If you do that you may want security bars and other preventative measures. Also they reduce your R factor of insulation a lot.
I have an attack mule, pigs, and 5 dogs. Plus the owner(me) is really dangerous. The grass is too tall, Barbed wire on the fence.
Entire property is fenced. There are many better targets elsewhere. My neighbors houses are Heads and Tails nicer than mine. People don’t trespass here.
I think i saw your place on the news…… Isn’t that the place where all the dead bodies were found? And all the sheep were killed… from rectal trauma?
Ah the sipping parlor!
Exactly grandee…
The money printing presses are going at warp speed as the dollar becomes worth less or is it worthless. Hold on Puerto Rico the pesos are coming sooner or later. Have your wheelbarrows ready.
Maybe I will donate a hammer and some nails to them. But then they probably wouldn’t know what to do with them…
Why rebuild when they can move to the mainland and mooch off the gubmint.
Ya thats true, buy stock in spray paint!
What I don’t get is that even as far back as “West Side Story” it has been know that in Puerto Rico – “….always the hurricanes blowing (and always the population growing)” went the song. Seems by now that island would have it down pat as to how to deal with hurricanes – preparation, building codes, infrastructure, civil authority and response…. But no. For hundreds of years since it’s been settled, they are not a bit more ready now than when Columbus discovered it in 1493.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy6wo2wpT2k
It is easier to build crap then cry and whine with your hand out than is it to build to hurricane code and do a good job.
Whatever happened to the hurricane victims in Texas?
After so much media coverage it all stopped.
Very strange.
Has anyone else found out Hurricane Erin was 500 miles off the coast of New York City on September 11th 2001?
Yet there was no extensive media coverage of this hurricane.
Something shocking happened with Texas hurricane victims. They all went back to work and went on with their lives.
you know it’s more unsupported BS from the likes of that San Juan bitch of a mayor – notice the absolute crap that was 1st to write a response – it’s her mayor herself …
She really is a total bitch, isn’t she.
Personally, I was expecting 100 per cent.
But, do take in consideration that there are no highway access to Puerto Rico. Those who will.
Do take in consideration what has occurred in The U.S.A since late August and latest reports are that FEMA IS stretched thin.
However, the U.S. Military is helping there and The President sent the Hospital Ship.
Why the F*CK is it the government’s job to help people?
In the early 1900s it was the Church that helped everybody, not the government.
it was neighbors helping neighbors, not everybody sitting around like porch monkeys with their hands out.
Good thing those democrats been running Puerto Rico for so long their infrastructure is second to none./sarc off
Did those teamsters go back to work or are they still in their work stoppage?
I went to San Juan Puerto Rico about 3 years ago on a cruise.
There were cops EVERYWHERE. One on every corner and often times doubled up. Apparently the cruise ship passengers were all getting robbed so they needed a MASSIVE police presence.
Puerto Rico is a shit hole.
Puerto Rico turns out to be a major world manufacturing center for drug companies. Five of the top drug companies have major manufacturering centers in PR. Most of these plants are idle with extensive storm damage and no electricity or clean water.
There are right now major shortages of saline IV bags appearing in hospitals across the US, turns out one manufacturer in Puerto Rico was the number one source for all hospitals in the US. It sucks to need surgery or IV delivered drugs in the US right now.
saline bags are saltwater, how hard is that to make? Ummm wait…. this is the new USA… yer right were fooked.
We will have to get the Chinese IV bags now. We are really fucked now.
It is unfortunate that PR people have to go through this…they have my prayers.
But what would posess a person to live where every year they have a hurricane
or a threat of one, and on an island, no less, where they have no escape except
by ship. My understanding is that many of those people are hiding from authorities,
and many are criminals.
Islands like PR are only good for campgrounds in “hurricane alley”.
I was living in Clearwater 35 years ago and a freak wind of 100 mph blew through and lasted about 15 seconds. Power out for 4 days, trees down, wooden fences down. Finally I got sick of the power being out with so many power company men around for days. I walked into the back yard and saw a small limb on a wire, called them and told them and the power was back on in less than a half hour. Mr Magoo power company.
What happened to FEMA CAMPS, I know they are all over the US. Why aren’t they being used for immigrates until a better solution can be made. At least they would have clean water, food etc. Instead of sending money and supplies there and we don’t know what their officials are doing with it.
Puerto Ricans are lazy and loud mouths. Trump is right. They expect US to do EVERYTHING for them.
As of today 17% have electricity in PR, 86% grocery stores are open, 70+% gas stations open. There is a website covering all this. Check it out. And plenty of food if the lazy people down there care to give a hand instead of getting a handout.
Okay, so no power – no big deal. No water, though? They are SURROUNDED by a vast ocean! Okay, it’s full of salt and some other stuff, but have they no ingenuity to figure out how to make it drinkable? Instead of focusing on what they DON’T have, why are they not focusing on what they DO have? For one, they now have TONS of firewood, and a good deal of it would be clean (wall studs, trusses, etc). They also probably have metal sheathing laying around from old shed roofs, some large pots, and clean water pipes. Wouldn’t take much to slap together a water purifier! Fold a tin sheet into a cone leaving a hole slightly smaller than your water line, rig a pipe with elbow to sit over the hole and angling down slightly towards a clean pot, build a fire underneath the cone, then place a large pot of unclean or sea water on the fire. Water boils, converts to steam which is funneled by the cone into the water line where it condenses and runs out the other end as pure water!
As for food, i don’t expect there’d be much to hunt (though i don’t know), but hasn’t anyone heard of fishing? Or grabbing a shovel and digging for clams? Most sea grasses that grow in the tidal zone can be harvested as well. Not sure whether there is enough of all those things to feed the whole island until the first crops are ready for harvest, but at least they have food for a short while, anyway.
john stiner
Using lame sarcasm doesn’t make you more intelligent.
The island and the economy was in the toilet before the hurricane hit. Too much graft, corruption and crime in the PR. That’s not Trump’s fault.
You can fish for food and make drinking water from sea water.