The world has witnessed a host of strong hurricanes as they ravaged the Caribbean and the southern US. Many islands have been devastated but one of particular interest is Puerto Rico.
What sets Puerto Rico apart from some other island states is that it is a territory of the United States sort of, barely. It's also in a mess financially.
Hurricane Maria hammered Puerto Rico. Property damage is extensive, catastrophic. Electricity is out, everywhere, and islanders could be without power for months.
This article from Vox explores Puerto Rico's debt and devastation predicament. The island was already down before Maria knocked it out. The aid expected from Washington will address some of the hurricane damage but it won't tackle the overall problems. And the government of Puerto Rico is tapped out and has no borrowing power left.
Many parts of Canada are familiar with power outages. They usually last a day or two but some can persist for upward of a week. That's bad enough but getting by without power for months is a different challenge altogether.
What we'll be witnessing in the coming months is a test. A test of Puerto Rico and its people, how they handle the devastation and dislocation. It'll also be a test of the United States itself and how it comes to the rescue of what is, after all, its long-claimed territory.
For three years running, Puerto Rico has been losing its citizens at the rate of 2% per year. These have been economic migrants trying to avoid the collapse at home and seeking a new life in the United States proper. Now we'll see those economic pressures compounded by ecological destruction.
Will Puerto Rico experience an exodus or will its people be able to muster the incredible resilience to stay? Either way, it'll be a petri dish for the rest of us, one that warrants a careful eye.
I've been wondering how Trump and his true believers when that 2% per year turns into a stampede.
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ReplyDeleteIt may be a harbinger for how the US will react to a much worse IDP, internally displaced people, problem when even worse climate change impacts such as sea level rise, megadroughts and such set in. A number of science types think there may be a significant migration out of the southern states.
How will Trump "come to the rescue" of Puerto Rico? Let me put it this way... Puerto Rico's aid package will reflect its number of seats in the Electoral College. That's all he cares about.
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