Loíza, PR, September 21, 2017 - The community of Miñi Miñi flooded after the Carraizo Dam released water, due to the overflow brought by Hurricane Maria. (Yuisa Rios/FEMA)
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Today’s Guest Essay:
Puerto Rico’s electric grid and infrastructure never recovered from the 2017 hurricanes, and continues to be tested as natural disasters become more frequent and intense.
This week, Jillian Melero, founder of Connect Puerto Rico, writes about why it’s time to do more, smarter and faster.
I’m Quinn Emmett, and this is science for people who give a shit.
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Power Outages Weeks after Ernesto Show the U.S. Needs to Do Better by Puerto Rico
By Jillian Melero
Jillian Melero is a print, digital, and broadcast media news editor and an independent health, environment, and science journalist.
She is the founder of Connect Puerto Rico, a newsletter that informs readers about policy, business, and science and technology affecting Puerto Rico’s transition to renewable energy.
Tropical Storm Ernesto passed by Puerto Rico late Tuesday, Aug. 13 before strengthening into a hurricane and heading toward Bermuda.
Between the lower-speed winds and the lack of a direct impact, Puerto Rico should have dealt with some flooding and mudslides at worst. Per my time in Florida, we would have prepped for a hurricane party at best. (See, “Bodies Bodies Bodies”).
But Puerto Ricans know one thing for sure: It doesn’t matter if the weather is good or bad, rain or shine — the power is going out.
Hurricanes and blackouts are nothing new to Puerto Ricans.
Since 2017, Puerto Rico has experienced at least five major hurricanes, tropical storms, or threats including Irma (cat 5) and Maria (cat 4) in 2017, Dorian (cat 1) and Karen in 2019, and Fiona (cat 1) in 2022.
My personal “radicalization” started sometime after Hurricane Maria.
Growing up in South Florida, watching the impacts and aftereffects of hurricanes like Andrew in Florida and Katrina in Louisiana, I understood hurricanes as a part of the Gulf Coast / Caribbean-adjacent lifestyle. They were something we had to adjust to and prepare for.
It wasn’t until I traveled back to Puerto Rico in 2018, to learn about recovery efforts from the National Institute for Island Energy and Sustainability that I realized how much bigger the picture was, how long before the hurricanes these issues had been going on, and how they affect everyone’s lives on a daily basis.
In a survey by the University of Puerto Rico, 29% of participants reported having three or more weekly blackouts, and 44% reported that it takes more than four hours on average to regain service.
Whether under Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), or private companies, LUMA Energy, and now Genera PR and New Fortress Energy — hurricanes or no hurricanes, Puerto Ricans have been struggling under the collapse of Puerto Rico’s ineffective electric grid and outdated infrastructure for decades.
It’s not just about the weather, climate change, and hurricanes. It’s also about governance, mismanagement, and a lack of political will to do better.