Posted on 09/27/2017 10:31:48 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
El Coquí, the one-inch musical tree frog that is Puerto Rico’s cultural icon, has more common sense than the island’s public officials. When rising temperatures made the coast inhabitable and caused the extinction of many of their species, the survivors moved up to the mountains, where it was cooler.
Meanwhile, nearly 70 percent of the island’s human population and all of its power plants are still on Puerto Rico’s coast.
This raises two questions. Why didn’t island officials, like Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, prepare for a disaster they knew was coming? And how did Puerto Rico spend several hundred million dollars in US taxpayer-funded FEMA grants?
The end of the tree frog’s nightly concert was just the first sign of looming catastrophe.
When I visited the island in 2013 after a decade’s absence, the first thing I noticed was the virtual disappearance of the wide beaches for which Puerto Rico was once famous. According to the US Geological Survey, they were washing away at a rate of 3.3 feet per year.
Then in 2013 came a more prosaic warning in the form of a report from the Puerto Rican Climate Change Council and the USGS. It stated: “It is no longer a question of whether the coasts of Puerto Rico and many port cities in the Caribbean will be inundated, but rather, it is a question of when and by how much.”
But history itself should’ve served as warning enough. Between 1956 and 1996, there were 12 disaster declarations from hurricanes and flooding in Puerto Rico. Over the last 20 years there have been 15. FEMA has provided nearly a billion dollars in disaster relief to Puerto Rico since 1998.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Leftist Utopias never seem to work for long.
Rinky dinky huts they live in with metal roofs.
That’s right kick em while theyre down...
I like Puerto Rico...the people are great...
This is a terrible thing to happen to American citizens...
If you live in tornado alley, you prepare in advance for it. If you live in hurricane alley, you better be prepared and Puerto Rico has had plenty of time and FEMA money to hurricane proof its essential infrastructure. Apparently they did not.
1. When "they're down" is when their ears may be the most "open".
2. Nice people do stupid things. Point in fact, all people do stupid things on occasion.
3. See #2.
To live somewhere like that and not be prepared for hurricanes is very "Darwin-ish". They need better management.
But I'm thinkin this prolly ain't the most "conservative" area. d:^)
They will just blame Trump.
How do you say ninth ward in Spanish?
Why spend money on preparation? They know we’ll ball them out.
When they aren't down they are standing with their hands out. Remember, PR was insolvent in perfect weather.
Plus, being *ready* and facing the facts of reality are two different animals. FWIW, there is no *ready* for storms of this ferocity.
You should look at Taiwan to see prepardness. Two weeks after Katrina devastated New Orleans with a Cat 2 Taiwan had a Cat 4 hit. Only 2 people killed and very little structure damage. They build accordingly to avoid damage from storms and earthquakes.
Yes.
Now I'm waiting for the chorus of "you need to make us a [dem welfare] state".
I take it you aren’t following any of the Prepper threads. You can’t stop a storm but some people are eating stored food and drinking clean water while others are crying in front of non-working ATMs waiting for the Red Cross to bail them out. Which group would you rather be in?
At the same time as they're begging to be bailed out of their bankruptcy and the hurricane damage, etc.
A relative audits the books for a company that has an office in PR. He goes down there a few times a year and says it's a joke. They're all corrupt there.
Hey Nana, have you spent much time in Puerto Rico? The crime rate is very high and their infrastructure was a mess before any hurricanes hit. PR should have had emergency supplies and equipment in place but they didn’t.
Puerto Rico is a beautiful island. If you move there your tax rate on income is less than 5% - if you even owe anything at all. There is no tax on dividends and no capital gains tax. Basically, WE in the US are supporting them. I’m getting tired of supporting people who choose not to provide for themselves.
This raises two questions. Why didn’t island officials, like Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, prepare for a disaster they knew was coming? And how did Puerto Rico spend several hundred million dollars in US taxpayer-funded FEMA grants?
...
My guess is the politicians are crooks and, as usual, the GW scam has nothing to do with it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.