Puerto Rico and Hurricane Maria

[Blue Collar Guy]

As of September 16th "About 80,000 of the island’s customers are still without electricity, according the power authority, PREPA. Earlier this week it was 200,000, according to PREPA's executive director Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez. "

Puerto Ricans Turn to the Black Market for Power After Hurricane Irma

Sounds like doom and gloom.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Authorities in Puerto Rico, which faces the possibility of a direct hit, warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival on Wednesday.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die. I don't know how to make this any clearer," said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-irma-path-track-noaa-update-09-19-2017/

Yeah I would say this guy doesnt mince words. This is how you have to talk to people, regular people relate to this message. All that stuff about "we wont be able to rescue you if you stay is nonsense. When you say it like that it means we will still try after we told you to leave. Clear, and pointed message.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

100 % without power, yeah, this place has problems.

 

[Bamaman]

I have been there many times. Give a Puerto Rican an ice chest and he is selling water at intersections. Give him a grill and he has a roadside restaurant along a highway.

Somehow they find a way to live--very entrepreneurial and independent people.

I get a kick out of watching some raising children speaking Spanish, some speaking English and many speaking NewYorican. They also speak Spanenglish fluently. And I wonder how many older Puerto Rican look at Miami television all the time and cannot speak any English.

 

[Scuba]

100 % without power, yeah, this place has problems.

The USVI's will likely not have power for several months across much of the island. After Marilyn in 1995, most of the island didn't get power for 6-9 months. Dealing with catastrophic hurricanes is much harder on a remote island as everything has to be flown or boated in, and the distance from resources needed is huge.

 

[Meadbh]

I visited Dominica once. A small independent country, densely forested and known as the “nature isle”. Quite poor, largely dependent on agriculture and ecotourism. I’ve seen the post Maria flyover videos. The forest has been ripped apart and many homes are without roofs. They have no large country affiliation to help recover from this catastrophe. This will set Dominica back by decades. That’s where I want my aid donation to go.

 

[GrayHare]

Presumably at least some of what was damaged in Puerto Rico is insured. This event might be the shot in the arm for the PR economy.

 

[Senator]

Presumably at least some of what was damaged in Puerto Rico is insured. This event might be the shot in the arm for the PR economy.

100% correct. There will be a lot of money flowing into PR in the next few years. For the ones who can figure it out, this will be a boon. Many millionaires will be created.

 

[mpeirce]

Presumably at least some of what was damaged in Puerto Rico is insured. This event might be the shot in the arm for the PR economy.

Certainly "some" insurance but not as much as would be useful.

From the Wall Streel Journal:

Many Puerto Rican homeowners don’t have insurance policies to help with rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Maria, making the economically depressed island’s recovery more difficult.

Only about 50% of houses in the U.S. territory are covered by policies that protect against wind damage, which is far less than is typical across the U.S.
...
The lower penetration of homeowners insurance reflects that annual income averages about $20,000 in Puerto Rico, which is about a third of roughly $59,000 in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia
...
Insurance on commercial buildings, including condominium towers dotting the island, is far more common... About 90% of properties are covered.

More at https://www.wsj.com/articles/hurric...uerto-rico-homeowners-no-insurance-1505940660

Though that's probably not accessible to everyone (hence the quoted text).

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Still no juice at all. Remember 80,000 have none since Irma hit. This might be a buying opportunity, How much longer before people start waving the white flag?

They are still surveying the damage. Doesnt look good.

 

[Nemo2]

I understand that the dam has just burst due to overload; is it a stupid question, (I'm not an engineer, so really don't have clue one), to ask why the possibility of this wasn't anticipated beforehand, (after all, they knew the storm was coming), and the runoffs activated before the outflow became problematic?

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I understand that the dam has just burst due to overload; is it a stupid question, (I'm not an engineer, so really don't have clue one), to ask why the possibility of this wasn't anticipated beforehand, (after all, they knew the storm was coming), and the runoffs activated before the outflow became problematic?

Im thinking Timeshares in Puerto Rico are getting cheaper by the minute.

 

[Nemo2]

Im thinking Timeshares in Puerto Rico are getting cheaper by the minute.

But what possible use are they if you can't commute to Disney World?