The humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico
10-02-2017, 03:44 PM
#21
Thread Starter
It's also very unfortunate for them that as bad as the Las Vegas tragedy is, it has knocked PR out of the news.
10-02-2017, 05:08 PM
#22
Why? Does the news help get supplies to PR?
10-03-2017, 03:42 AM
#23
Thread Starter
news does help to get attention focused on the problem.
Looking bad does help motivate some leaders who get easily embarrassed.
Looking bad does help motivate some leaders who get easily embarrassed.
10-03-2017, 07:03 AM
#24
Does it? I think the news focuses attention on anyone who wants to make an inflammatory political comment. One person says "we are dying" and blames America for not helping, another claims the first person is incompetent and that America is doing all we can as fast as we can, another says America is helping appropriately. Which is it? Where are the real reporters who go to the scene, conduct an investigation, and provide the facts? Never mind. That no longer exists.
From what we were told, the island was DESTROYED two weeks ago, yet people are complaining that electricity and communications have not yet been fully restored. IN TWO WEEKS?!?! I know people that didn't have power in Massachusetts for two weeks after a big storm two years ago.
Here are statistics form CNN. I've left in the inflammatory adjectives and adverbs. Read this and ask yourself how quickly you would expect an island state to have these services restored after it was DESTROYED? Frankly, it sounds to me like things are going pretty quickly.
Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the island is still operating under strained conditions. This is what Puerto Rico looks like now:
From what we were told, the island was DESTROYED two weeks ago, yet people are complaining that electricity and communications have not yet been fully restored. IN TWO WEEKS?!?! I know people that didn't have power in Massachusetts for two weeks after a big storm two years ago.
Here are statistics form CNN. I've left in the inflammatory adjectives and adverbs. Read this and ask yourself how quickly you would expect an island state to have these services restored after it was DESTROYED? Frankly, it sounds to me like things are going pretty quickly.
Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the island is still operating under strained conditions. This is what Puerto Rico looks like now:
- Most of the island is still without power. 6.89% of the island has power
- Just 40% of Puerto Rico's telecommunications have been restored
- Only 45% of the island's has running water
- The island's airports usually have 160 flights per day. Only 26% of their flights are back up.
- 814 of 1,100 gas stations are operating
- Only 295 of 456 of supermarkets have reopened
- Just 315 of 1,166 ATMs at banks and businesses are open
- 8,867 people are staying in 149 shelters across island
- Only half of Metro area buses are running
10-03-2017, 09:42 AM
#25
Is the glass half empty or half full
10-03-2017, 11:02 AM
#26
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the situation is terrible and I hope efforts are continued to help the island get back on its feet as soon as reasonably possible. But other than electricity, I think the percentage of services and facilities restored in less than two weeks is amazing.
10-03-2017, 11:59 AM
#27
I think the situation there is a bit more serious than simply lack of electrical power. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a very good story on CNN today about the impact on people with compromised health issues and the very real potential for many more "preventable deaths" in coming days and weeks.
Their infrastructure and economy were not all that strong before this disaster, and let's not forget Irma also hit them before Maria.
They, along with the US Virgin Islands are U.S. citizens and should be afforded equal recovery efforts.
We have a PR regional forum here, so there were S2K owners down there. Wonder if any were lucky enough to save their cars not to mention themselves.
Rex
Their infrastructure and economy were not all that strong before this disaster, and let's not forget Irma also hit them before Maria.
They, along with the US Virgin Islands are U.S. citizens and should be afforded equal recovery efforts.
We have a PR regional forum here, so there were S2K owners down there. Wonder if any were lucky enough to save their cars not to mention themselves.
Rex
10-03-2017, 01:05 PM
#28
There is not much activity in the S2KI Puerto Rico regional forum. I think that long time S2KI guy Bill the Bear (as we call him) screen name BearNVa moved to PR a couple of years ago. I don't know if he is still there or how he may have fared.
10-03-2017, 01:26 PM
#29
I think the situation there is a bit more serious than simply lack of electrical power. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a very good story on CNN today about the impact on people with compromised health issues and the very real potential for many more "preventable deaths" in coming days and weeks.
Their infrastructure and economy were not all that strong before this disaster, and let's not forget Irma also hit them before Maria.
They, along with the US Virgin Islands are U.S. citizens and should be afforded equal recovery efforts.
We have a PR regional forum here, so there were S2K owners down there. Wonder if any were lucky enough to save their cars not to mention themselves.
Rex
Their infrastructure and economy were not all that strong before this disaster, and let's not forget Irma also hit them before Maria.
They, along with the US Virgin Islands are U.S. citizens and should be afforded equal recovery efforts.
We have a PR regional forum here, so there were S2K owners down there. Wonder if any were lucky enough to save their cars not to mention themselves.
Rex
I don't think "equal" is measurable or possible. As you mention, their infrastructure was not strong to begin with. Texas and Florida are mainland states. Mobilization and deployment to an island state is entirely different and far more difficult. Maybe someone with a stop watch will be able to show we helped Texas and Florida to reach some level of operation faster than Puerto Rico could reach that same level. Does that mean we didn't give it the same level of assistance? How do we measure the assistance given? So far, it seems to be based on the Mayor of San Juan telling us that they are dying. Are they? What are the reporters determining?
The CNN reports about Trumps visit today focus on the thoughtless fashion in which Trump discusses the disaster. Yes, he is a douche. But is he wrong about the numbers? Is he wrong about the level of effort? I just don't know. I think if CNN knew the effort was amiss they would be pointing that out.
Trump's Puerto Rico event was way worse than his tweets - CNNPolitics
10-03-2017, 05:51 PM
#30
- Only 45% of the island's has running water