Trump’s Malign Neglect of Puerto Rico
The mainland usually ignores the U.S.-controlled island, but the president shows active hostility in its time of need.
by Pedro Reina-Pérez
Jan 16, 2020
4 minutes
SAN JUAN—Weeks into an ominous pattern of earthquakes, Puerto Rico is still shaking violently. On December 28, what might have been an ordinary holiday week was suddenly interrupted by a mild tremor whose intensity registered at 3.8 on the Richter scale. Mild in itself, it began what geologists call an “earthquake swarm” of more than 1,000 tremors to date. The worst was a 6.4 temblor on January 7 that left one person dead and seriously damaged the Costa Sur power plant, which generates 25 percent of the island’s electricity. Millions were left without power and running water for days, while the electric grid, still recovering from Hurricanes Irma and Maria
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