Not since Hurricane Katrina have we seen the U.S. government fail so miserably in addressing a domestic humanitarian crisis as it has in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A full six months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, ravaging the island, our federal government continued dragging its feet in providing relief to rebuild Puerto Rico’s most basic infrastructure functioning and reliable electricity, healthcare, operational schools, bridges, roads and reliable communications.

These aren’t luxuries; they are basic necessities for any community to jumpstart its own economy, generate and maintain jobs, and restore a sense of normality. Through multiple humanitarian visits to the mountain region of Puerto Rico, in partnership with the Hispanic Federation and other organizations, I witnessed the ongoing crisis firsthand.  These areas are so remote and destroyed, that it took months just for responders to get through.

One year later, functioning and reliable infrastructure, combined with the crushing public debt that economists have agreed needs restructuring, have stagnated Puerto Rico’s economy and led to tremendous hardship.  And in August of 2018 we were informed of what we already knew to be true: the number of people who died as a result of Hurricane Maria is more than 20 times the official number reported 1,427, not 64.  We now know that this number is more than that of those who died in Hurricane Katrina and comparable to the number of 9/11 fatalities. These deaths are directly related to the grossly inadequate federal response: suicide, diabetes, sepsis, lack of access to medicine, critical healthcare and mental health resources.

While some progress has been made, the federal government has not taken strong and decisive measures to address Puerto Rico’s overall economic downward spiral, worsened by Hurricane Maria. The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY Hunter College estimates that between 114,000 and 213,000 Puerto Rico residents will leave the island annually in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, with up to 470,335 residents or 14 percent of the population leaving by 2019. The “Centro” further finds that based on school enrollment data, many of these families are taking the “long view” of living in the mainland United States, a strong indication that for these hurricane victims, the future continues to look bleak.

The United States has an obligation to Puerto Rico and all territories to be proactive in taking measures to protect the lives of people in advance of a well-publicized extreme weather event and reactive to immediately mitigate damage, provide health care and rebuild.  Most important are the lives of the people, especially those in remote areas, who suffered the most and whose daily lives are still not restored to normalcy.  I know because I’ve been there.

I’ve submitted legislation in the New York City Council calling on Congress and President Donald Trump to enact the U.S. Territorial Relief Act to provide debt relief to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for rebuilding.  I’ve also called for New York City to construct a memorial to all who lost their lives due to Hurricane Maria and the inadequate response of our federal government.

One year later, we must demand that our federal government act morally and humanely to take care of Americans, wherever they are. 

Fernando Cabrera is the New York City Council Member for District 14th in the Bronx. 

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.