Puerto Rico suffers total blackout as Hurricane Fiona brings threat of flooding, mudslides

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

(CNN)Power has gone out across all of the US territory of Puerto Rico on Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us, as Hurricane Fiona bears down on the islands, which are already grappling with the threat of flooding and mudslides stemming from the Category 1 storm.

"Puerto Rico is 100% without power due to a transmission grid failure from Hurricane Fiona," the website said.

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi confirmed the outage in a tweet, noting the entire electric system was out of service and officials have activated the proper protocols to work to restore power.

The blackout -- which followed hours of progressively worsening power outages -- comes five years after Puerto Rico's power grid was devastated by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, leaving many residents without electricity for months. But officials have stressed it won't be like last time: Not long before the lights went out, Abner Gomez, head of public safety and crisis management at LUMA Energy, which operates Puerto Rico's power grid, said utility authorities plan to repair and restore electricity with the help of local government agencies.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/18/weather/tropical-storm-fiona-sunday/index.html

[Marthe48]

1. If P.R. attained statehood

would they get through hurricanes better? Or get back online sooner?

I feel terrible for the people who live there.

[msongs]

2. they could end up with water like Jackson or Flint nt

[madville]

4. Not likely

They’d still have LUMA as their power utility.

[cstanleytech]

7. Do you mean joining the US as a full fledged state or creating their own separate state?

If you meant creating their own it would probably make things even worse as they have few resources they could exploit to export and while they have some manufacturing on the island a substantial amount of it is exported to the US.
Those exports to the US are not taxed like they would be if they came from another nation so they might lose some of them if the companies do not find it as profitable.
The other downside also if they went on their own is they would lose a lot of aid the US does usually provide (except when a Republican asshole like Trump is in office in which case they are screwed) when they have problems.
So, no becoming a separate state probably would be a bad idea.
Now becoming a state within the US might help especially if they are the 51st as it could get more prompt aid especially if their Senators provide a key tie breaking vote.

[Marthe48]

8. I meant full U.S. statehood

Any change in their situation which would maybe make the effects of the tropical storms and hurricanes easier to repair.

Thank you for all of the information about their becoming an independent state.

[LT Barclay]

9. No.

From an inside view, the Exxon Valdez caused a change in the law as to how oil spill response happens. It gave the federal government the authority to take over a response and ensure that it was cleaned.
I expected the same thing to happen after Katrina and it didn't. Probably the lack of leadership and unwillingness to admit anything was wrong in the Bush administration.
At some point I'd like to start an association for contingency planners and responders with one of the goals to be to lobby for a law for disaster planning modeled after OPA-90. We have the capability. It should involve the Corps of Engineers, Navy SeaBees, USAF Transcom, USCG, the Maritime administration. The planning should be led by a 4 star sitting on the joint cheifs of staff.
FEMA can't manage it. They will tell you that the are there to assist state and local responders who generally have the staffing, training, or experience to mobilize for a major disaster, and many of those will be victims also. Those other agencies should be on alert and ready to come in like an invading army and provide food, shelter, and medical care for responders, and provide that plus evacuation or search and rescue assistance to the community. Right now many agencies tasked with responding are counting on living in local hotels, eating in local restaurants, and buying groceries in local stores.

[Marthe48]

10. I'm not sure you meant to reply to my post

although it is interesting information and ideas

[LT Barclay]

11. I replied to the wrong one. I should have replied to the one

asking if things would be better if PR was a state.
We're not prepared for anywhere for a major disaster.

[Marthe48]

12. I agree we aren't prepared

and every storm has changed the landscape, cost lives, ruined economies. If you haven't offered your ideas to someone/ some agency that could make them happen, you should.

[LT Barclay]

13. I don't believe there is an agency. I need to get off my butt and start the organization.

I believe the number of lives that could be saved is inestimable.

[bahboo]

3. beautiful island, beautiful people...

they just can't get a break.

[Evolve Dammit]

5. PR should have been a state 50 years ago. I feel so bad for their people. No excuse at this point

for the lack of support. And of course the Orange Anus made it even worse by picking fights and throwing paper towels. What a fucking sociopath.

[CJW]

6. Puerto Rico and statehood

Puerto Rico has had several elections over many decades to give their approval to go for statehood, and each time their voters have turned it down. It's not the US that is refusing.