Via El Vocero de Puerto Rico: María deja a su paso una grave devastación en Puerto Rico.[Maria leaves in her path grave devastation in Puerto Rico] Excerpt with my translation, and then a comment:
La destrucción que dejó el huracán María a su paso por Puerto Rico retrocedió varias décadas el estado de la isla, incluso cuando las autoridades trabajan para evaluar la magnitud del daño, informó una delegada del territorio.
The destruction left in Puerto Rico in the path of Hurricane María has pushed the condition of the island back several decades, including when the authorities work to assess the magnitude of the damage, a delegate of the territory has said.
“La devastación de Puerto Rico nos ha llevado casi 20-30 años para atrás... No te puedo negar que es un Puerto Rico distinto al que vimos hace una semana atrás”, dijo Jenniffer González, Comisionada Residente de Puerto Rico. “La devastación de propiedades, de estructuras en el piso, de familias sin casa, de escombros por doquier. El verdor de la isla ya no está”, agregó.
"The devastation of Puerto Rico has put us back about 20-30 years. ... I can't deny that this is a different Puerto Rico from what we saw a week ago," said Jenniffer González, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. "The devastation of property, the collapsed buildings, homeless families, ruins everywhere. The greenery of the island is gone," she added.
Ingenieros planeaban el domingo inspeccionar la represa de Guajataca, de 90 años de antigüedad, la cual tiene una reserva que cubre alrededor de 5 kilómetros cuadrados (2 millas cuadradas) en el noreste de Puerto Rico. El gobierno informó que la presa tiene una enorme grieta luego de que María depositó casi 15 pulgadas de lluvia en las montañas aledañas y puntualizó que “colapsará en cualquier minuto”. Residentes del área fueron evacuados, pero comenzaron a regresar a sus casas el domingo luego de que un aliviadero aminoró la presión en la presa.
Engineers were planning on Sunday to inspect the 90-year-old Guajataca dam, whose reservoir covers 5 square kilometers (2 squar miles) in the northwest of Puerto Rico. The government has report the dam has an enormous crack since María dumped almost 15 inches of rain in the surrounding mountains. They pointed out that "it can collapse at any moment." Residents of the area were evacuated, but began to return to their homes on Sunday after a spillway was opened to relieve pressure on the dam.
Long after the mainland media have lost interest in the disaster, some of the worst consequences will emerge, and many of them will be in the public-health sector.
We can expect a spate of waterborne diseases: leptospirosis, skin infections, diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid, and maybe even cholera. Add to that untold swarms of mosquitoes, some carrying malaria, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. As well, mental health issues will slow Puerto Rico's recovery as thousands struggle with PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
The healthcare system will struggle just to deal with such problems, never mind control or eliminate them.
So far, the US government has shown much more concern about uppity black millionaire athletes than about the fate of 3.5 million people living (barely) on American soil.
