‘Catastrophic’ damage, power outages as storm pummels Puerto Rico

After Hurricane Maria left widespread destruction across Puerto Rico in 2017, officials, analysts and residents said the federal government failed to adequately prepare for and respond to the disaster. In the years since, Congress and two presidential administrations have pledged billions in aid money, a chunk of it initially held up by bureaucratic red tape.

Here is a look at some of the money that was earmarked for the island’s rebuilding effort:

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development set aside $20 billion for island residents to rebuild their damaged homes or relocate. But that money took years to trickle in, stalled by Trump administration restrictions. The long delay was the subject of intense outrage in Puerto Rico.
• In 2021, the Biden administration announced it would remove some of the Trump-era hurdles, making it easier for the island to access billions in promised aid. That year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency also approved nearly $3 billion in funds for recovery projects, the White House said.
• FEMA in 2021 also awarded the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the island’s state-run utility, about $9.4 billion for projects that would “transform the island’s electrical system.” The federal agency said it was its largest-ever allocation of funds.
• Earlier this year, FEMA announced another infusion of funds meant to build a more reliable electric grid on the island. The money, more than $107 million, would fund 15 new projects. “This will take time, but we are focused on the goal of an unprecedented recovery,” José G. Baquero, FEMA’s federal disaster recovery coordinator, said in a statement at the time.

Within two days, a pair of disasters struck opposite corners of North America: The entire island of Puerto Rico lost power on Sunday as Hurricane Fiona brought damaging winds and devastating flooding to the U.S. territory — a meteorological catastrophe mirrored by another severe storm that battered parts of Alaska.

In Puerto Rico, up to two feet of water washed away bridges, carved chasms in the ground and is in the midst of triggering hundreds to thousands of mudslides. President Biden has already issued a disaster proclamation for the island.

Flights have started to leave San Juan after being halted for the hurricane, but the company that operates the airport warned of possible delays due to a lack of personnel.

Planes bound for North Carolina, Philadelphia and New Jersey took off Monday afternoon, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. Nearly 125 flights departing San Juan have been canceled in the past 24 hours.

Travel challenges remain. Workers at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport stayed there overnight to respond to damaged runways and terminals, said the management company, Aerostar. But many parts of the airport are short on staff, making it likely that customers will face long security lines and changes in departure times.

Officials confirmed multiple deaths across Puerto Rico but cautioned that the full toll would not be known for some time as emergency-responders continue to battle floods, power outages and other challenges.

Pedro Pierluisi, the governor of Puerto Rico, said that at least two deaths have been reported in community shelters. They appeared to be from natural causes, he said.

Another death was reported on Culebra, a small island off the big island’s east coast. The mayor there has requested a helicopter to fly out the body, but weather conditions remain too perilous, Pierluisi said. And officials were also investigating a suspected death due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in Hatillo, a town on Puerto Rico’s north coast. In what seemed to be a separate incident, firefighters in nearby Arecibo said one man died from burn wounds after attempting to operate an electric generator.

In 2017, The Washington Post put together an in-depth look at how people in Puerto Rico lived without electricity for months on end using various multimedia. We spoke with a nurse, a hospice patient, students, business owners and dozens of others to capture their lives in detail.

Take a look at the project here.