hurricane Maria

National

Puerto Rico Officials Say They're Ready for Hurricane Season, But Worries Mount

10:57pm May 17, 2018

by Adrian Florido

The head of the island's emergency management agency admits the government did not take hurricane preparation seriously before Hurricane Maria, but says all that's changed.

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A damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Punta Diamante, Puerto Rico on Sept. 21, 2017. On Monday, Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the majority of federal recovery grants would go toward rebuilding homes and businesses.

National

How Puerto Rico Plans To Spend $1.5 Billion In Federal Recovery Grants

6:33pm May 07, 2018

by Adrian Florido

The grants were provided by the Department of Housing And Urban Development, and most of the money will go to rebuilding damaged homes and businesses.

Don Gregorio has lived all his life in the same home in Humacao, a city on Puerto Rico's eastern coast that was hard-hit by Hurricane Maria. Many of his old friends have since left for the mainland, the former carpenter says, and he feels very alone.

Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide

5:29pm May 07, 2018

by Sarah Varney

The electricity is back on across much of the island, but the disruption to community spirit continues. Isolation, anxiety and depression are up, as are suicides, especially among older adults.

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National

Restoring Power To Puerto Rico's Last Two Percent

3:00pm May 03, 2018

Seven months after Hurricane Maria, thousands of people in the Puerto Rican mountains are still waiting for the lights to come back on. Why is power restoration for the last two percent so difficult?

Hurricane Maria cut power to people across Puerto Rico. On Wednesday, a subcontracting company caused another island-wide blackout, which the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has been working to fix.

National

Puerto Rico Restores Electricity After This Week's Outage

1:30pm April 20, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

Wednesday's outage was the first island-wide blackout since Hurricane Maria destroyed infrastructure in September. But thousands who lost power during the storm remain without it.

An aerial view of Road 2, six months after Hurricane Maria, in Toa Alta, west of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 18.

National

Puerto Rico Loses Power — Again

3:13pm April 18, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

The U.S. territory was hit by an islandwide blackout, affecting more than 3 million people. Puerto Rico has struggled to rebuild its infrastructure since Hurricane Maria hit in September.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, restorations are being made to a roof in Castañer, a village in Puerto Rico's central mountains. But recovery is slow.

In A Puerto Rican Mountain Town, Hope Ebbs As The Hardship Continues

8:18am April 18, 2018

by Sarah Varney

Six months after Hurricane Maria pounded Puerto Rico, patience in the remote mountain village of Castañer is wearing thin. Mental anguish persists among people still waiting for reliable electricity.

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After a lifetime of agricultural work on the U.S. mainland, Ausberto Maldonado retired home to a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico. But he has diabetes, and especially since Hurricane Maria, has been struggling to get by.

Time's Running Out For Many Frail, Older People In Puerto Rico

8:57am March 30, 2018

by Sarah Varney

Ausberto Maldonado picked corn and asparagus for years on the U.S. mainland before retiring in Puerto Rico. He has diabetes, and as the island's safety net wears thin, he's struggling to survive.

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Dr. Carla Rossotti (left), a general practitioner, and her health care team leave the home of the their patient, 37-year-old Osvaldo Daniel Martinez. He has the symptoms of a degenerative disease, Rossotti says, but he needs a neurologist's evaluation bef

For One Father And Son In Puerto Rico, A Storm Was Just The Latest Trial

8:47pm March 22, 2018

by Sarah Varney

The Martinez family has been waiting more than a year for a neurologist to diagnose the son's condition. He needs a diagnosis to be eligible for the health care he needs, but can't get an appointment.

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Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a deal that would allow billions of dollars in federal disaster recovery loans to start flowing to the hurricane-devastated island.

National

Feds and Puerto Rico Reach Deal Allowing Disaster Recovery Loans To Start Flowing

8:46pm March 22, 2018

by Adrian Florido

Puerto Rico's governor had been locked in tense negotiations with the U.S. Treasury over terms governing $4.7 billion in loans that Congress approved to help the island recover from Hurricane Maria.