Puerto Rico is 100% without power after Hurricane Maria — here's why that's a huge problem

The lights are out in Puerto Rico.

The island is 100% without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which has wreaked havoc on much of the region. The Category 4 storm touched down on Puerto Rico around 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday after slamming the Virgin Islands on Tuesday evening.
...
Power is a key component of any area's infrastructure — it supplies cool air during a heat wave, keeps life-preserving hospital equipment running, and allows people to charge phones that they need to communicate. A region's power infrastructure can tell you a lot about its capacity to withstand a devastating event like a hurricane, according to Vivek Shandas, an urban-planning professor at Portland State University.

Puerto Rico is 100% without power after Hurricane Maria — here's why that's a huge problem

This information is from yesterday Spetember 20th. Today I heard in the Spanish channel Univision that authorities expect all of Puerto Rico to be without electricity/power for 6 months to a year.

Things are pretty bleak for Puerto Rico. The island has been experiencing a bad economy, and now this. We can expect Puerto Rico to go on default and the government would have to "bail them out".

Apart from no power, which means hospital and emergency services would be affected, there is also the possibility of heatwaves affecting the island and people not being able to cool off with the A/C. There could be casualties from heat exhaustion.

This also means no running water either for drinking, or taking a bath or any necessities so this will cause a lot of health problems as well.

Imagine 6 months to a year without any power and most of the island having no communication at all.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Today I heard in the Spanish channel Univision that authorities expect all of Puerto Rico to be without electricity/power for 6 months to a year.

I find that very hard to believe.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Today I heard in the Spanish channel Univision that authorities expect all of Puerto Rico to be without electricity/power for 6 months to a year.

I find that very hard to believe.

Well Spanish is my first language and unless they made a mistake that's what Univision is stating. Pretty much it seems they would have to rebuild the entire power infrastructure. There are many areas that are still flooded. We are talking about the entire island with no power whatsoever.

originally posted by: ElectricUniverse

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Today I heard in the Spanish channel Univision that authorities expect all of Puerto Rico to be without electricity/power for 6 months to a year.

I find that very hard to believe.

Well Spanish is my first language and unless they made a mistake that's what Univision is stating.

I looked it up, and many sources are saying this.

That being said, it is technically part of America. Between government and charity, I would hope this gets resolved as quick as possible.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Time to send over an air craft carrier to provide emergency power to the islands essential services.

I imagine that the amount of generators on the way over there will increase as well.

Maybe it's also time for PR to have solar panels installed on every house as well.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

It's true, talked to 2 Airport Firefighters down there yesterday. One has no power and is expected to work while his family is at home( has an 80 year old mother inlaw that's not in good health ) Naturally San Juan Airport has power, but some of the services further inland are running on generators... fuel is getting short in supply.

This article has a good many details; the power company PREPA is bankrupt with $75 billion in debt. Irma and Maria have caused hundreds of millions of dollars to repair. Electricity there costs twice as much as mainland USA.

www.chicagotribune.com...

the president called for a state of emergency. haven't read as to what exactly that will entail, but it doesn't take long for savage survival to kick in. granted, where does one even start in the process of helping an island that was almost absolutely decimated. an npr report quoted the governor [of Puerto rico] as saying there was only one death (caused by flying debris). that is one glimmer of hope for the people to hold on to.

eta: I hope we can find a better term than "humanitarian aid". everybody knows what that means nowadays.

Still not sure why we don't let it become a state. It basically is a state, but territory status give the federal government all of the benefits and them none of the benefits.

originally posted by: amazing
Still not sure why we don't let it become a state. It basically is a state, but territory status give the federal government all of the benefits and them none of the benefits.

Right! The island of Hawaii became a state. Why not the island of Puerto Rico?

originally posted by: carewemust

originally posted by: amazing
Still not sure why we don't let it become a state. It basically is a state, but territory status give the federal government all of the benefits and them none of the benefits.

Right! The island of Hawaii became a state. Why not the island of Puerto Rico?

Their lack of statehood makes it much harder for them to receive aid and for some agencies to operate there.

originally posted by: amazing
Still not sure why we don't let it become a state. It basically is a state, but territory status give the federal government all of the benefits and them none of the benefits.

it may well finally become a legit proposition...right after midterms, of course.

If it comes down to charity and aid all I can say is that Puerto Rico had better hope the Clinton's have nothing to do with it.

Just ask Haiti.

a reply to: CriticalStinker


from what i have been hearing, not only has the power generation system been pretty much destroyed. but even if there was no problem in that regard, there are almost no power lines still standing anywhere near complete. in other words almost the entire electrical grid needs to be rebuilt and replaced. and that takes time (and a lot of money). even bringing in a ship to supply power as suggested will not help without power lines to get that power to where it needs to go. doing something like that i suspect all it would end up powering, due to the lack of intact and safe power transmission lines would be things like hospitals and emergency services. and that would require laying power lines between the ship and the hospitals and other public buildings like police stations and other emergency services. new poles for power lines need to be manufactured and erected. new power lines need to be strung. buildings would all need to be hooked back up to the power lines. all before people can get the power they need. and before they can even start to rebuild the power infrastructure cleanup of the old power system and most of the other debris needs to be cleaned up so they can actually do the needed work. i can see such a task easily taking over a year to accomplish.

Bunch of dumb human beings build on an island that gets whacked by mother nature and is upset when it gets knocked out?



Seek life elsewhere.

originally posted by: SR1TX
Bunch of dumb human beings build on an island that gets whacked by mother nature and is upset when it gets knocked out?

Seek life elsewhere.

All of the land on earth is surrounded by water. Where can someone live in which to escape mother nature?

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Without power, It seems easier to evacuate the island until better infrastructure is placed.

But I do understand not wanting to leave your culture and history behind. Plus there is a risk of the government denying their return.

I'm really hoping things can be fixed quickly for them.

a reply to: 3daysgone

Sure,

Does not mean go build on a remote island and live there then claim catastrophe when it all goes to s***.

I do not believe in the Fed Gov helping Houston out either or Flood Insurance. Your property or its getting destroyed is not anyone's problem but yours. Don't Like it? Don't live there.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse
Isn't Puerto Rico where they had the CT about body bags and coffins showing up there in mass for what was then believed to be mass causalities from a meteor strike around 09/23/2017?

I might have gotten this all wrong, but I think someone said they dreamed about mass deaths in Puerto Rico a couple of years ago, and Puerto Rico being reduced to a barren island.

So if they rebuild the island under cloak of darkness (little information getting in or out), this could be a foundation for conspiracy theories on steroids.

Refugee islands. Ports of FEMA camps. The possibilities are endless.

originally posted by: grey580
a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Time to send over an air craft carrier to provide emergency power to the islands essential services.

I imagine that the amount of generators on the way over there will increase as well.

Maybe it's also time for PR to have solar panels installed on every house as well.

'An Aircraft Carrier' are you kidding?



No the fleet is needed elsewhere to kill other people.