Puerto Rico in dire straits in wake of Hurricane Irma

Puerto Rico, a U.S. Territory located in the eastern Caribbean, is an island in crippling debt. In just May this year, Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy. According to The New York Times report, Puerto Rico is 123 billion dollars in debt.

(Hurricane Irma viewed from space as it was getting ready to strike Puerto Rico. Image Source - NOAA)

In the wake of Irma, 1 million Puerto Ricans are without electricity. This equals roughly 70% of all electric customers according to Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.

As the Associated Press reported,

Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Thursday that crews are investigating and until they know the extent of the damage, “it will be difficult to estimate how long the power outage will last.”

ABC reported that he Puerto Rico Department of Health reported that 42 percent of hospitals are using generators due to the electricity problems.

(Image from Puerto Rico as Irma made landfall. Image Source - ALVIN BAEZ/REUTERS)

Even after Irma has passed, the island is expecting at least 5 more inches of rain. There are a total of 3 deaths reported so far, but with continued rains the risk of floods and land/mudslides rises which could lead to more fatailties.

An estimated 50,000 or more people currently do not have access to clean and safe drinking water.

With hurricane season not over and Hurricane Jose working its way towards the Caribbean, many in Puerto Rico and other island nations are in for a rough next few weeks.

We urge you to donate to not only Hurricane Harvey victims, but our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico. Mis pensamientos y oraciones están con los de Puerto Rico. Mantente fuerte, permanece a salvo y te queremos.

(Article by Jaimes Campbell)

We wanted to add that Puerto Rico is not the only U.S. Territory affected by Hurricane Irma. The U.S. Virgin Islands and specifically the island of St. Croix were also in Irma's path of destruction.

As NPR reported, Gov. Kenneth Mapp said the U.S. territory had sustained "significant devastation.""Sustained winds of 150 mph, gusts higher than that, for three or four hours is devastating," he said in a statement Thursday.