Puerto Rico deals with Hurricane Devastation
It's a devastating sight in Puerto Rico on Monday as Hurricane Fiona drenches the island, leaving most without electricity.
Fiona striking just one day before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria. That storm causing the longest blackout in U.S. history, taking almost eleven months to fully restore power.
Life-long Puerto Rico resident, Giancarlo Colberg, will never forget that storm. "For me and for many Puerto Ricans, Hurricane Maria was extremely traumatic. What we saw during Maria, it was like being surrounded by this monstrous wind. Lots of structures were lost and lots of people, too,” he said.
For Fiona, many in San Juan consider themselves lucky. This storm hitting the south and western portions of the island hardest. “It's been five years since the federal government appointed funds, billions of dollars, to reconstruct the power grid in Puerto Rico. We have not seen anything related to that reconstruction yet, so those are billions of dollars that should have prevented this from happening."
Many residents like Giancarlo are frustrated to see a much smaller storm cause this much damage after steps were supposed to be taken to prevent this devastation from happening again.
“They're not seeing lives as being at risk. Lives are at risk. We need this to be streamlined. Thoughts and prayers need to transform into action,” he said.
Giancarlo says he's lucky because he lives so close to a hospital, so that's why he still has power.
President Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, as they deal with overwhelming floodwaters.
At least two people have been confirmed dead due to Hurricane Fiona.