Puerto Rico

What’s the issue? On September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria became the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in Puerto Rico in 89 years (and the fifth most powerful to ever hit the United States). It came on the heels of two other powerful hurricanes to hit the United States, in Texas and Florida respectively. Puerto Rico was badly damaged by Hurricane Maria, which knocked out the electrical grid, rendered much of the island’s water undrinkable, and covered the island in downed trees and debris. Rebuilding the island is expected to take months and cost billions of dollars.

Why do I care? The US government was slow to act in the wake of hurricane Maria, and instead of stepping up in the face of criticism, Trump has recently turned relief efforts into a political bickering match. It is yet another horrific example of Trump caring more about his own ego and image than the Americans he represents (especially when those Americans are not white). But the truth is, Trump is not the only one to blame. There are simple steps that Congress could take to ease suffering in Puerto Rico and to help the rebuilding effort.

Trump’s tweets highlighted Puerto Rico’s debt and implied that Puerto Ricans are in part to blame for their own problems. In response, the mayor of San Juan implored him and others to forget about the debt for now and focus on alleviating human suffering. I couldn’t agree more. However, some aspects of Puerto Rico’s debt are hurting the hurricane relief effort. Puerto Rico effectively declared bankruptcy earlier this year, turning over its finances to a finance control board called managed by the Junta under the Promesa Act. Because of this, Puerto Rico is not able to allocate its own funds for hurricane relief without going through the Junta. There are concerns that the Junta, which has only allocated $1 billion so far (a fraction of what will be needed), will direct hurricane relief funds disproportionately to parts of Puerto Rico that have the best chance of stimulating growth and helping pay back the debt. As Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said, now is not the time to be thinking about the debt. Puerto Rico should be free to allocate money as it sees fit to recover from this disaster. Even better, Congress has the power to put a moratorium on debt payments from Puerto Rico, or even to forgive its debt fully or in part, all of which would aid Puerto Rico’s recovery.

Furthermore, Congress is not expected to vote on a relief package for Puerto Rico until the first or second week of October. This is in stark contrast to the $15.25 billion it approved for Texas only shortly after Hurricane Harvey. Congress should make making this money available to Puerto Rico a priority, and should make sure that the amount allocated is reasonable given the destruction (early estimates are $40-80 billion).

Just because Congress needs to act does not excuse us, the American people, from action either. A recent poll found that barely half of Americans realize that Puerto Ricans are US citizens. That is disturbing, but I find it more disturbing that citizenship is even a part of the relief discussion. The fact that Puerto Ricans are as American as Texans certainly makes the US government beholden to do its part, but for the rest of us, people are in need- that’s all that should matter.

What to do if you care too:

1. Donate money. While it is not always the most emotionally satisfying, giving money is often the most helpful thing you can do. There are many credible organizations that are providing aid in Puerto Rico. Here is a list from the New York Times and here is another list being updated daily with reliable organizations. After doing some research, we gave to Connect Relief.
2. Better yet, schedule a reminder to donate money in a month, or set-up a regular donation. After a few days of better publicity, relief to Puerto Rico is surging now, but there will still be plenty of need in a month or two, when the coverage has moved on to something else. (Don’t forget about other islands in the Caribbean that were hit by Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria).
3. Call your Congresspeople. Tell them first and foremost to approve a relief package for Puerto Rico. Next tell them forgive Puerto Rico’s debt and allow it to move forward (if you want move information about the debt crisis, check out the Puerto Rican Syllabus).
4. Support the right of Puerto Ricans to have a voice in their own decisions. Right now Puerto Ricans cannot vote in most elections, and have only a symbolic (non-voting) representative in the House (like Washington DC). It will take the support of Americans with voting power to change that.
5. Donate your time. If you have time available and would like to volunteer, there are organizations who are looking for manpower. Keep in mind that going to Puerto Rico means you will need to get there, have a place to stay, and consume food and water, so don’t go unless it’s with an organization you trust. Medical personnel, tech experts, engineers, and lawyers are among those needed in Puerto Rico now, check out opportunities to volunteer here.

 

 

 

Cover Image by Joe Shlabotnik from Flickr.