The remnants of Hurricane Ernesto left us on the East Coast with heavy rain and rip tides; it even will cause heavy rain in Ireland and batter the southwest coast of the UK. The remnants are nothing compared to the damage in Puerto Rico. Remember Puerto Rico? It’s the island part of the United States we treat like a colony.
In 2017 Hurricane Maria left large parts of the island without any power for six months; and we thought we had it bad when we lost power for two to four weeks after Sandy. Although “only” 64 people died as a direct result of the storm, more than 3,000 died due to the power outages. And power outages occur not just because of hurricanes.
The island is caught between two related crises. First, with the warmer ocean from the climate crisis we all experience, it also has an energy grid that is decrepit. And, to make matters worse, power on the island is privatized making profit, not service, the incentive for any real progress. Don’t you think we should do more than throw out paper towels?
Prayer for the Day
Rain, giving water, your gift of life, O God,
But there are times when we have a little too much;
Rain, watering the ground, opening us to life,
But some places don’t seem to have enough.
Help us, O Lord, to think and plan for a future,
When rain will not cause so much devastation.
In the name of the One who walked in the rain,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
At the time [after Hurricane Maria], everybody thought, ‘This is it. This is the opportunity.” To us, that was like a historic moment. The government would finally understand. Years later, I don’t think the government understood. There were other forces at play
Elvia Melendez-Ackerman, plant ecologist at the University of Puerto Rico
A private utility isn’t really accountable to anybody except for whatever independent regulator is independently regulating it. The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau has regulated these entities weakly, if at all.
Jordan Luebkemann, senior attorney with Earthjustice
Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness;
Let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,
And let it cause righteousness to sprout up also. For I the Lord have created it.
Isaiah 45: 8