Six months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico struggles on. What’s it going to take to fix it? Who will do it?
This show airs Monday at 11 a.m. EST.
Guests:
Bianca Padró Ocasio, breaking news reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. (@BiancaJoanie)
Omaya Sosa Pascual, journalist and founder of Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism. (@omayasosa)
Justin Vélez-Hagan, founder of the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. (@JVelezHagan)
From The Reading List:
Centro de Periodismo Investigativo: The Fantasy Of The Fiscal Plan For Puerto Rico — “The most recent version of Puerto Rico’s fiscal plan for its central government would chart the future of the country, giving some degree of certainty to citizens, businesses and investors to bet on the island’s dismal economy. Yet it is built on economic projections totally incompatible with the historical experience of places that have been destroyed by hurricanes the world over.”
Just this month, a major power failure put almost a million people in and around San Juan, Puerto Rico back in the dark. It’s been almost six months since Hurricane Maria slammed into the island, and 10 percent of Puerto Ricans still do not have electricity. So some people are leaving, for good. An exodus of more than five percent of the population by the end this year. That will only further hobble Puerto Rico’s economic future. So why has the island’s government put out what some analysts see as a strangely rosy economic forecast?
This hour, On Point: A reality check in Puerto Rico.
—Meghna Chakrabarti
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