The majority of Puerto Rico remains without power nearly six months after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria, and this is now the longest outage in US history. While it may be unfathomable that something like this can happen in this country, the disaster has reinforced a basic truth that we should all embrace: There are no guarantees that we will ever be able to rebuild or recover following a major disaster. Some places can be devastated to the degree where it will either be logistically-impossible or cost-prohibitive to rebuild, and this is something that we should all prepare for in advance.
Infrastructure Destroyed
One of the main reasons that Puerto Rico can’t get back on the grid is that it’s impossible to get around the island. The infrastructure wasn’t that great to begin with, and many secondary and tertiary roads were already in poor, dilapidated condition. Many were washed out during the storm, and landslides, sinkholes, downed trees and run-of-the-mill debris still makes them impassible today. While progress is being made to clear and repair roads, it’s a painstakingly-slow process. Consequently, crews can’t get to areas where repairs need to be made, and it will take months before the majority of the island is accessible to crews.
Location
Because Puerto Rico is an island, everything needs to be shipped, but ports aren’t large enough to support the sheer scale of relief efforts. Consequently, the process of unloading equipment and material is painfully-slow because only a few ships can dock at a time. Then, these items need to be warehoused, loaded onto trucks and delivered, and there are limited resources on the island that can support these efforts. Consequently, things like additional gear, equipment, machinery, parts and even vehicles need to be shipped in and distributed as well. This bottleneck impacts everything, including getting the electrical grid up and running.
Lack of Political or Economic Support
Getting Puerto Rico online will cost billions of dollars that the federal government simply doesn’t want to spend. On the other hand, the Puerto Rican government doesn’t have the financial resources to handle reconstruction on their own either. This has created a conundrum that we haven’t seen since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and Puerto Rico is going to be forced to scale back their efforts simply because there isn’t enough money available. As hard of a pill to swallow this is, it’s a reality that needs to be accepted. There comes a time when it’s just not politically-expedient or cost-effective to rebuild, and residents of affected communities, or even states, may end up being forced to permanently relocate.
These are just a few of many reasons that Puerto Rico hasn’t been able to get back on-line. As a result, people who were initially expecting to be able to return home a few weeks, and then months, following the storm are now faced with the prospects of rebuilding their lives somewhere else. Thousands are living in shelters, motels and cheap apartments in cities across the country, and few have any idea where they will land once the dust settles.
As tragic as what’s happening in Puerto Rico is, it’s important that we all consider how we would cope following a disaster that we may not be able to recover from. How will you adapt if you’re displaced? What kind of plans can you make in advance to minimize the impact this can have on you and your family’s future? Remember that it’s just as important to prepare for the medium to long-term impact of a disaster as it is for the disaster itself. Take some time to consider how you will cope, and make sure that you account for this possibility in your planning so that you’ll be as prepared as possible for the worst.
