https://socialistaction.org/2017/10/08/hurricane-disaster-in-puerto-rico-u-s-aid-is-slow-and-insufficient/
Hurricane disaster in Puerto Rico: U.S. aid is slow and insufficient
/ 19 hours ago
Oct. 2017 Trump paper towels
Trump tosses paper towels into a crowd in Puerto Rico on Oct. 3. After
calling Puerto Ricans “ingrates” a week earlier, Trump paid a brief
visit to a high-income area of San Juan, where he declared that Puerto
Rico had not suffered a “real” disaster, like happened under Katrina.
Soon after hurricane Irma devastated islands in the Caribbean and parts
of Florida, Socialist Action reporter Ernie Gotta interviewed Omar Pérez
Figueroa about the effects of the storm on Puerto Rico. Gotta followed
up with Perez after hurricane Maria decimated the island. Pérez, a
native of Puerto Rico, is a member of the Juventud Hostosiana, the youth
group of the Hostosian National Independence Movement. He is an
investigative analyst on climate and water quality and a doctoral
student at the University of California Irvine School of Social Ecology.
Socialist Action: Can you discuss the situation in Puerto Rico following
Hurricane Maria?
Oliver Pérez: The situation is chaotic right now, there is no
electricity, only 25% of people have water, and approximately 88% of the
cellular towers are out of power. People are dying in the hospitals,
treatment such as dialysis and oxygen therapy need electricity to be
provided, and the gas that is used to run the power generator is scarce.
The government is saying that they have supplies, but somehow people are
not receiving them. As a result, people are camping, making long lines
just to get some gas.
Another issue that has gone unnoticed is the mixture between stagnant
water from the floods and sewage water. In a normal rain event, manhole
lids burst because of the water pressure. Now imagine how many manholes
blew with the hurricane! This water mix poses a health risk to everyone
that comes in contact with it; sewage water contains high levels of
pathogens. Because roads are either blocked or flooded, people do not
have another option than to get in contact with this polluted water.
Also, there are areas in the interior of the island where aid has not
arrived. We have people writing “S.O.S.” on their roofs, hoping that
someone will send aid. There are people who lost everything, unlike
high-income people from Guaynabo, where President Trump visited during
his trip to the island. This media circus portrayed Puerto Ricans as if
they were doing just fine, rather than showing a humanitarian crisis.
SA: Can you talk about the U.S. relief response?
OP: FEMA is responding at snail’s pace. My sister told me yesterday that
on the way to visit my grandmother’s house she saw houses without roofs
and people sleeping out in the open. The process to obtain aid from FEMA
has been exhausting. It is very complicated; you need the internet to
complete the formularies. The people that I know that have been able to
fill the application had done it through the phone. How come the fastest
way to apply for aid is via internet and phone, when most of the island
is without power and cell phone signal? Supposedly, FEMA sent people on
foot to complete these forms, but they are nowhere to be found.
The U.S government has had an Army colonel named Jeffrey Hughes to
oversee the aid operations in the island. This has been seen by many
people as a new military occupation of the island. Yes, we need aid, we
need tools and structures that can allow us to bounce back from this
crisis, but we don’t need to keep perpetuating the same political system
that has made us dependent on U.S. aid.
Furthermore, last week (Oct. 3) President Trump visited Puerto Rico to
see first hand the consequences of Hurricane Maria. Rather than being
supportive or expressing his concern for Puerto Ricans’ wellbeing, he
stated that Puerto Ricans have thrown the U.S. budget “out of whack.” He
went on to say that Puerto Ricans and Governor Ricardo Rosselló should
be proud because only 17 people have perished in this event, which
compared to Hurricane Katrina, in which the dead count went into the
thousands, was “good.”
He mentioned how they have finally arrived to help us, as if Puerto
Ricans have not done anything to pull themselves from this crisis. That
visit showed a lack of respect and understanding of the Puerto Rico
situation. Losing 17 lives is more than enough.
SA: There was fear on Sunday (Oct. 1) that the Guajataca Dam could burst
open. What’s the dam’s status now, and how would that impact those
living near by? How has U.S. economic extraction of wealth from the
island affected infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the ability to rebound
from natural disasters?
OP: We are facing a major issue with the Guajataca Dam. It broke on one
side, and it seems it can flood the area if completely broken. This dam
provides water to many towns in the western part of the island. If it
breaks, this would mean that 11 billion gallons of water would be
unleashed onto the communities nearby.
Puerto Rico has a serious problem with its water infrastructure, which
is very old, and in some areas, it should have been repaired long time
ago. Most of this infrastructure could have been repaired or even
rebuilt, but the PROMESA law has limited the funds that can be invested
in this efforts. As a result, most of Puerto Rico’s budget has being
allocated to pay its debt, leaving essential services such as education,
health and infrastructure adrift.
SA: What role does climate change have on the powerful storms generated
in the Atlantic?
OP: Scientific data from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change) suggests that climate change is increasing ocean temperatures.
This change in temperature increases hurricane strength.
Nevertheless, the Puerto Rican government and society have yet to
recognize this relationship. It was not until 2016, and with the help of
the Puerto Rico Climate Change Council (PRCCC), that the Puerto Rico
Senate tried to pass a bill to establish Puerto Rico’s public policy
towards climate change. The bill was never passed. It was defeated in
part thanks to the politicians’ lack of recognition of climate change.
Most of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure is along the coast, which makes the
topic of climate change very relevant. This infrastructure includes
airports, hospitals, universities, water treatment plants, and power
plants. It is a scientific concern that from the list previously
mentioned only a few government entities have plans to address climate
change impacts (the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and the
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico).
SA: Over a million Puerto Ricans (70% of the population) were left
without power by hurricane Irma, and over 150,000 lacked potable water.
Maria knocked out the power grid completely. Can you discuss how the
exploitation of Puerto Rico by U.S. capital has made the island more
vulnerable to natural disasters?
OP: The perfect example for this is the cabotage law. Under the Jones
Act of 1920, the United States government determined that the only
merchant marine that Puerto Rico could use to receive or send
merchandise abroad was that of the U.S. This has a direct impact in our
economy, because the U.S merchant marine is one of the most expensive in
the world.
This is also an issue of concern because if for any reason the port of
Jacksonville, Fla.—which is the port we receive our merchandise
from—were to close, the island would be at a standstill. Puerto Rico
imports 90% of its products (food, clothing, cars, among others) from
there. In early September, the Jacksonville port was closed because of
Hurricane Irma. And so, Puerto Ricans were freaking out.
Finally, the U.S. Congress had to issue a standstill on the cabotage
law, so Puerto Rico could function. In the final analysis, however, we
are at the mercy of the U.S. government when it comes to the cabotage
law. They will enforce it when they deem it more convenient.
SA: Cuba faced a direct hit by Hurricane Irma. Yet Cuba is largely seen
as being able to bounce back quickly from such disasters compared to its
neighbors in the Caribbean and in the U.S. What can we learn from the
way Cuba deals with hurricanes?
OP: I think a very distinctive trait of the Cubans is their solidarity.
Their education system is built so kids at an early age start thinking
as collective. This is very different from the U.S education model,
which focuses on the individual. If we extrapolate the previous
argument, in the occurring of a hurricane we have the Cuban society
working together towards the same goal, the country’s recovery. But on
the contrary, in other regions where solidarity is not a stronghold, you
have speculators trying to get richer at the expense of others’ suffering.
Another aspect we can learn from the Cubans is their recognition of
their geographical location. They are very aware that because of their
location they are very likely to get hurricanes and they are prepared
for them, they have plans of mitigation, climate change impact, etc. We
do not have to reinvent the wheel, we must be prepared and implement the
plans that we have. Moreover, we have to take up the challenge to
convince politicians and society that we are not currently prepared, and
we need to be, because hurricanes will keep occurring.
SA: What role do you see the people of Puerto Rico playing in the
struggle for a sustainable earth?
OP: We need to be like the salmon, we need to keep on pushing, push the
climate change agenda, because climate change and its consequences are
real. As a friend of mine in the U.S. said once, “The sea level rise
does not care if you are a Republican or Democrat.” There is strong
wisdom in his words; you can argue all you want whether climate change
is real or not, but you cannot dispute the catastrophic consequences.
No change is a small change; we all have an impact. Because Puerto Rico
is an island, we are feeling the climate change impacts more quickly.
This is already triggering communities to be prepared, because they know
the government will do little to help them. Without knowing it, these
communities are developing management plans and driving climate change
acknowledgement, which I know we all can learn from.
SA: How would a Puerto Rico independent of U.S. rule organize to
withstand natural disasters? Does the current situation point out the
necessity of independence?
OP: Let’s start by saying that the term “natural disaster” has been
misused for decades. Yes, there are disasters, but that does not make
them natural. The magnitude of a disaster depends greatly on people’s
capacity to respond. If a country does not have the institutions or the
sovereignty to respond quickly or according to what is needed, it means
it is not resilient.
Hurricane Maria’s consequences in the island are not natural; on the
contrary, they are the result of decades of an imposed political regime.
This regime has hindered our resilience and our economic growth. One
example is the Jones Act, which prohibits Puerto Rico to import or
export any product that is not on a U.S. ship.
Today, more than ever, we need our independence; we need to have the
power to decide our future. We cannot have thousands of pounds of so
many needed supplies, waiting for the U.S government to decide when it
is time to enter Puerto Rico.
Also, we need to foster our own economy. This political system has us
subjugated; we import up to 90% of our products. We have big seed
companies like Monsanto and Pioneer using our most fertile lands to
plant their products and export their revenue. We need our independence
to stop it, to have control over our soil.
Finally, we need the power to compete in the global markets as equals.
Currently, we cannot protect our products to be sold at better prices
and in better conditions. More than ever we need our independence. Viva
Puerto Rico libre!
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October 8, 2017 in Caribbean, Environment, Trump / U.S. Government.
Tags: climate, Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rican activists fight coal ash dumping
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