Wednesday 27 September 2017

Eye witness statement from Puerto Rico

I feel particularly angry and depressed today.

People are rightly pointing out that 50 % of Americans don't know Puerto Rico is part of America.

All well and good but that implies it is OK to be completely without a shred of empathy or compassion for other Caribbean islands and Mexico.

Not in my books it in't!


It's been a week and 59 hospitals in PR don't have fuel for generators. Two died today. Shameful! Way past time to stop bitching about NFL.”

--Roger Caldwell, via Facebook

P.S. To clarify, this came from Marcus James Grail via 

Facebook who reposted this from a friend who remains 

(understandably) nameless





A voice from Puerto Rico




Via Facebook

"I’m in Puerto Rico. I work as a power operator for the electric company. I have a 32week pregnant wife, this is the first time since our collapse that Facebook newsfeed logged and updated. This is my top story. i am enraged and desperate.


First off, Fema has federalized our gas and diesel channels. The lines at a gas station to fill your tank is around 12 hrs. Ive done it twice. They have hoarded all resources and manpower meaning transportation truckers capable of supplying gas stations. Fema right now has made the gas crisis horrible. I travelled far to find family members since communications are down. All condos have no diesel so no water can go up the pumps to flush.


The smell of shit and piss is beyond this hemisphere. Because of no diesel we are having our sick dying in their homes. Some died bc of oxygen failures bc their generators eventually died but bc of no way to get a drop a single drop of diesel or gas for a week. I found most of them. I still after a week cannot see my mom, a mountainside of dead trees are in the way making it impassable. I called her she has food and water for a day more. Thats gonna be my mission tomorrow. Get my mother some food.


Most and i mean almost all trees in the island are dead. Meaning no vapor. No clouds. No rain. We have to reforest inmedietly or we become a desert island.

A dead island.

I cannot recall a day where i looked up and saw no clouds. Its been a week now and the sight is terrifying. There have been absolutely no drops of any supplies to anyone. At all. There has been no message on radios nor speakers regarding supply drops or water. Jones Act prevents ships from around the world to come directly here without it stopping first in the US then having those supplies moved to a US shipping container and then sent here.


So now the world can see the horror of that. They cannot send help directly and time is running out.


As i write this im on a ceiling of the third home i called home during this disaster. As water and supplies and dangers arise we have to keep moving. My wifes best friend lost her pregnancy during this ordeal. Now im so terrified of my wifes pregancy. Ive no damn idea how in 7 weeks im gonna help my baby girl survive this heatwave that never stops now we lost our vegetation and she cannot travel bc of advance stage pregnancy. I felt useless trying to console my wife bc her bf baby died. Btw thank you airlines for charging 2k for a plane ticket when they normally sell for 300 so people can get away. I can see the small isla grande airstrip from here and see the little planes leave at all times , they are ferrying people to the dominican republic and then fly to the states. Granted our main intl airport suffer the lost of the traffic control for 30 miles and commercial flights are hesitant to come. Thanks for the price hike.

Get the damn army to put a radar like in a war zone and get us moving.
Anyway.

This is my rant. Im just desperate. I hope its not like what i heard at the bank line today that all trump said was that we need to pay wall street our debt while we are dying here and then he talks about peaceful protesters taking a knee on the anthem.


Yeah, i just can believe this. Please share

9 comments:

  1. I am so sorry this is happening. I will keep sharing this, and ask others to pass this on. Many are posting all the information they see, and sending money on the funds that so far have been set up on sites like YouCaring.

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  2. "...almost all trees in the island are dead." It may be small comfort, but most of the broken tress are not dead and they will re-grow. Next year the land will be green again.

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  3. Since this is an unverified report of whats happening in PR --- I find it odd that one would immediately pounce on the Jones Act.

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    Replies
    1. What're you talking about? They clearly said their facebook feed updated. Anyone directly affected by this now knows what the jones act is as it is stopping our friends and family from receiving basic necessities in a timely manner.

      I love how out of eberything being said, you fond the 1 thing you can possibly bitch aboht amd try to discredit the situation.

      Delete
  4. Yes, it is a horror now but, yes, the island will be green in a year and yes, things will get repaired and order returned.

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    Replies
    1. True, but many people won't make it that long.

      Delete
  5. @Augustus John, in regards to your comment about the Jones Act: I listened to a segment on NPR talking about that exact thing. Apparently, supplies and help are super slow getting to PR right now because of the Jones Act, making a very difficult situation even more difficult. Trump has been hemming and hawing about passing an exemption in this case and, in my opinion, he needs to allow supplies to be sent directly to PR instead of having to be re-routed through the U.S. They're in extremely dire straits and need help ASAP.

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  6. WilliamTaylor & Augustus Johns, There but for the grace of god are you two! Next YEAR???? Are you kidding me? If you were there, would you find any comfort whatsoever in knowing everything will be fine in a year?

    ReplyDelete

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