Puerto Rico: Shelter After the Storm

Why are some of Puerto Rico's poorest residents being denied federal aid to rebuild their homes after Hurricane Maria?

For decades, Puerto Rico's status as a US territory has been a source of political, social, and economic conflict on the island. The 3.5 million American citizens who reside there have no voting representation in Congress.

Now Puerto Rico is fighting for its survival in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in September 2017.

Maria was the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 90 years. More than 1,000 people died from the storm and its aftermath. It cut a path straight across the island, destroyed 70,000 homes and left at least 250,000 homes badly damaged.

The Puerto Rican mayor who challenged Trump

We ask Mayor Carmen Cruz about conditions in Puerto Rico, and Thuli Madonsela weighs in on corruption in South Africa.

In this week's UpFront, we ask San Juan's mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz about the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico after hurricanes Maria and Irma, and whether her war of words with United States President Donald Trump helps or hurts the recovery.

The Roots of Trump’s Prejudice | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann

Trump is Not Planning to Rebuild Puerto Rico | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann

Projected Path Of Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma: what we know so far

Hello and welcome to Thursday’s coverage of Hurricane Irma. Here’s a round-up of the latest news:

• The eye of Hurricane Irma, still a category 5 storm with sustained winds of 180mph (290kph), moved westward off the northern coast of Hispaniola on Thursday morning, its winds raking the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm’s projected path Thursday brings it almost directly over the British possessions of Turks and Caicos, followed by a course near the southern Bahamas.
• At least 10 people have been reported dead in the wake of the storm: an infant on Barbuda, one person in Anguilla and eight in the French territory of St Martin. Thousands more remain in shelters, their homes damaged or destroyed. In Puerto Rico, almost a million people are without power and 50,000 without water, according to the US territory’s department of emergency relief.
• Florida governor Rick Scott has ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal stretches of south Florida, including the vulnerable Florida Keys. Fuel shortages have begun at gas stations around the state, which only has two major north-south highways, and authorities have opened shelters in inland areas.
• The storm is expected to make landfall in Florida early Saturday, though it remains unclear where exactly the hurricane will hit the mainland.
• On Barbuda, prime minister Gaston Browne said Irma had made 90% of the tiny island’s structures “literally rubble” and that half the population was homeless. On French-administered St Martin, local councilman Daniel Gibbs told a local radio station “95% of the island is destroyed”. French authorities have sent naval ships with supplies to the island.
• In Haiti and the Dominican Republican, authorities closed all schools. Haitian president Jovenal Moïse urged people in rural areas to head to shelters and out of the mountains. “The hurricane is not a game,” he said in a television address. On the Bahamas, prime minister Hubert Minnis ordered people to leave six southern islands, the largest evacuation in the country’s history.
• Already one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, Irma held sustained winds of 185mph for over 24 hours before it slowed to its current speed, making it the most enduring hurricane since the 1960s when satellite monitoring began. President Donald Trump has declared states of emergency in the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Florida.
• “Do not ignore evacuation orders,” Scott told Floridians on Wednesday. “We can rebuild your home but we cannot rebuild your life.”