Puerto Rico’s latest setback on its way to recovery from Hurricane Maria came on Thursday, as it was struck by a massive power outage. Around 80% of the island is now without electricity, hindering an effort to recuperate what has already been challenging, as Puerto Rico has had limited resources and a population in crisis.
Since Hurricane Maria, about half of the island has been without power and its inhabitants have been living this way for over a month. This has already been the longest power outage in the history of the United States, leaving residents of the desperate island in the dark.
Initial reporting from Buzzfeed has put the blame on a company called Whitefish Energy that recently installed power lines in Puerto Rico, yet they have denied responsibility for the outage. Whitefish had repaired power lines meant to reinstate electricity in a portion of the vulnerable environment, yet the lines failed for an unknown reason. The FBI is currently investigating the situation.
The current disaster comes in the wake of many challenges facing the area. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, not only was electricity put in jeopardy, but the water supply was influenced, as was inhabitants’ access to other resources, especially when it comes to food. The United States initially did little to address the issue, as President Trump only truly responded after being criticized for how he approached the issue and criticisms continued to pour in as he visited the island.
Currently, officials both within Puerto Rico and outside of it are working to develop a solution to the current situation and to bring assistance to the area, hoping to restore electricity and other valuable resources as soon as possible. It is clear that although the hurricane has passed, residents of the island are now in the eye of a different storm, fighting to live in a climate of disaster.
