Puerto Rico Background
PR is one of five US territories, what are the others?
Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands
When/where did Hurricane Harvey hit?
Texas on Aug. 17th 2017 causing flooding for over a week (100 total deaths)
When and how many bills were passed by Congress allocating funds for the storms?
3, by the end of 2017
How many workers were posted 9 days after landfall?
Harvey = 30,000
Irma = 16,200
Maria = 10,000
What are the implications of the stalled payout for the people of PR by the Federal government?
Exacerbated housing, medical, food, and water insecurity
What year did Puerto Rico become a US territory along with Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam?
1898
When/where did Hurricane Irma hit?
Florida on Aug. 30th, 2017 causing major agricultural and electrical damage (92 total deaths)
What did the First bill do?
Passed in Sept. giving $15.25 billion in Federal Aid to Harvey and Irma
How much was allocated in FEMA funds 9 days after landfall?
Harvey = $100 million
Irma = $100 million
Maria = $6 million
What are the implications of the stalled payout for PR's economy?
Money that could be flowing now, is flowing later
There were campaigns for control over Puerto Rico by the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch because of which 2 features of the island?
-Location -Natural Harbor
When/where did Hurricane Maria hit?
Puerto Rico on Sept. 16th, 2017 devastating the island (3,040 total deaths)
What did the Second bill do?
Passed in Oct. allocating $18.67 billion for all 3 storms, & $4.9 billion of that to PR through a loan program which was later denied (instead of grants)
How long did it take for FEMA funds to reach $1 billion?
Harvey and Irma = 2 months
Maria = 4 months
Why is Puerto Rico's power grid unlikely to be repaired anytime soon?
Policy divisions, quarrels over the 2021 privatization of the electric grid, and heavy debate over how to allocate funding
Why is Territorial status worse than Statehood when it comes to voting?
No voting representation in Congress or votes in Presidential elections (despite citizenship, and obligation to follow Federal law)
What is the hurricane category of each storm?
All three hurricanes are historical disasters, with Harvey and Irma landing as cat. 4 and Maria landing on the tipping point of a cat. 4/5
What did the Third bill do?
Required creation of 1 and 2 yr recovery plans by PR’s governor before being able to see any funds (no plans required for Harvey/Irma)
What was the percentage of FEMA funds actually spent after 1 year?
Harvey = 80%
Irma = 75%
Maria = 60 %
Why did Puerto Rico receive significantly less aid than Texas and Florida?
Social incentive for Trump to preserve anti-hispanic rhetoric, needed to maintain the favor of his supporters
Why is Territorial Status worse than Statehood when it comes to governance?
Congress controls how much self-governance a territory can have
How long were the incident periods declared under the Trump Administration after each storm?
Harvey = 23 days
Irma = 19 days
Maria = 6 days
Why was the crisis caused by Maria exacerbated?
The Third bill passed in Dec. 2017, but it wasn’t signed until Feb. 2018
Why were FEMA funds disbursed slower to Puerto Rico?
-Delayed signing of the third bill
-Mandated creation of 1 and 2 yr recovery plans
-Different payment agreement allowing PR to cede their upfront cost share, but requiring them to pay for work over budget
What is the economic tenet best demonstrated by Puerto Rico's continually failing power grid?
economic actions have indirect as well as direct effects with public policies often having unintended consequences (grid run by gov.)