Posted on 10/01/2017 2:09:31 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Puerto Rico officials say it will likely be four to six months before power is fully restored across the U.S. territory of 3.5 million people. The island’s faltering electrical grid, now crippled by the twin blows of Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma, already was struggling to keep the lights on after a history of poor maintenance, poorly trained staff, allegations of corruption and crushing debt.
As recently as 2016, the island suffered a three-day, island-wide blackout as a result of a fire. A private energy consultant noted then that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority “appears to be running on fumes, and … desperately requires an infusion of capital — monetary, human and intellectual — to restore a functional utility.”
Puerto Ricans in early 2016 were suffering power outages at rates four to five times higher than average U.S. customers, said the report from the Massachusetts-based Synapse Energy Economics.
And then came Maria.
The collapse of the power system has tumbled down the infrastructure chain, making it difficult to pump water supplies — the water authority is one of the power authority’s biggest clients — and also to operate the cellular phone system, which also relies on the power grid.
...
U.S. military officials, part of a contingent of thousands of extra troops being brought in to help with recovery, are helping expedite fuel deliveries to hospitals.
By midweek, 689 of the 1,000 gas stations on the island were operating, Puerto Rico officials said. Fuel was delivered to at least 200 of those stations on Wednesday, they said.
The warnings about impending electricity problems that were issued even before Hurricane Maria hit stemmed from the island’s long history of power outages and the lack of substantial refurbishing and maintenance.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
So now we taxpayers get to buy them a shiny new one! And it has to be done super fast or Trump is a racist, right?
Wow..from the LAT!
no, it was fine until DJTrump got elected.
Precisely!! These damned idiots let their country go to SH*T, then GOD does them a favor by “cleaning up the mess they made”, and now they expect US to build them a new one to turn to SH*T. (NOt on MY dime!!)
My thoughts too! Maybe this will be the a blessing in disguise to them. Sad to think of it like that though...
That’s right it will all be Trump’s fault.
“Shovel ready”
Pretty much everything on the Island is imported and over half the population is on US Government Welfare, so the only challenge is getting the swag to the people.
Too bad the welfare layabouts are too lazy and entitled to help themselves .
Shovel it all over with dirt and plant breadfruit.
Give it back to Spain, we have nothing in common with them.
Puerto Ricon FReepers might not agree.
In another article it said they were Selling Bonds to Wall Street to Fund Day to Day operations, forcing them to continually increase the rates and nothing left for repairs or maintenance.
They need to tell Wall Street to go pound sand and default on ALL of their Debt.
Write off its debt and grant it independence.
Time for PR to be on its own. No reason for us to perpetually subsidize them and then listen to all the belly-aching when we don’t clean up their messes quickly enough.
Leftists are consistent, if nothing else. They lead their country (city, state) to the edge of the financial abyss by paying people to do nothing, then, when disaster strikes, they are altogether unprepared for the event. THEN, they want every one and anyone to bail them out. Especially the rich.
12 years ago the treasure coast in florida got smacked three times in two years.
I never ever saw a fed anydamn thing when it all happened.
I’m disappointed in the attitude of too many of the inhabitants of this island. No country needs citizens who expect everything to be handed to them.
I’ve been to Puerto Rico and while it is a beautiful island, the majority of the buildings’ windows and doors have heavy metal bars covering them. Most of the structures are in poor condition. It’s shocking.
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