In Puerto Rico, corruption is at the root of the problem.
By Isvett Verde Staff Editor |
I kept a nervous eye on Puerto Rico last weekend, after learning that Hurricane Fiona was likely to make landfall. I worried that the island's vulnerable infrastructure would be no match for the weather, even if at that point it was just a category 1 storm. |
When I heard that the power grid had been knocked offline Sunday afternoon, my mind turned to the writer Israel Meléndez Ayala, with whom I had been working on a guest essay about the connection between corruption and the island's blackouts ahead of the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria. "Are you guys OK?," I texted him at around 3 p.m. I didn't hear back until later that evening. |
"No power and almost no signal," he wrote. "The rest of P.R., or even my own town, I don't know." |
As a fellow "caribeña," who grew up in Miami, Fla., I tend not to get too riled up about hurricanes. But when it comes to Puerto Rico, there is good reason to worry. The island has been plagued by intermittent "apagones," or blackouts. Just last month, Israel told me that his power was out and people were protesting when we spoke on the phone. |
Bringing his piece to the finish line this week was a bit of an "odisea." On Tuesday, the Wi-Fi signal was too weak in San Juan, so he biked to the next town. There he found a cafe where the internet kind of worked. A few hours later, the internet went down there too and he was back on the bike in search of another cafe. |
Our work was a maddening process of chasing power and internet. It was only days later, putting the finishing touches on the piece, that he was able to work from his own home. This is but a window into what life has become in Puerto Rico. |
"In the years since Hurricane Maria, our battered infrastructure has only gotten worse," Israel writes. He explains how in nearly every way, corruption, carried out by the people Puerto Ricans elect to protect and serve them, has wrought more damage to the island than any hurricane could. |
"We're tired of politicians enriching themselves at our expense," Israel writes. "We're fed up with the blackouts." |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
Contact us If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment