The three main focuses of our research based on the problem statement we wrote were: the effects of hurricanes on the power grid, rural communities in the mountains, and schools after natural disasters. However, there was a lot of research to arrive at this problem statement. You can learn more about some of the research we have done here.

Horror from Hurricanes

September 20th, 2017
Hurricane Maria – Category 4

“Hurricane Maria Devastates Dominica and Knocks out Puerto Rico.” RMetS, 19 Sept. 2017, www.rmets.org/metmatters/hurricane-maria-devastates-dominica-and-knocks-out-puerto-rico.

Hurricane Maria, a category 4, the second most dangerous category for hurricanes, brought 155 mile per hour winds and 30 inches of rain in one day1,3. The island’s electrical system collapsed from Hurricane Maria which affected the 3.4 million people living in Puerto Rico at the time10. This, however, was no short-term blackout; Puerto Ricans were left without power ranging from weeks to almost a year1,2,5. 

2018
Official Death Toll

“Hurricane Maria: Dominica ‘in Daze’ after Storm Leaves Island Cut Off.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Sept. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/21/dominica-daze-hurricane-maria-island-caribbean-rescue.

Originally, estimates put the death toll from Hurricane Maria at over 1,000, but in 2018 the official death toll was raised to 3,0001. The discrepancy in these numbers comes from the effects of the aftermath. These include people dependent on electronically run medical devices, refrigerated medications, and people who suffered from heat stroke (from a lack of air conditioning) and water poisoning (from a lack of electronically controlled water filtration).

Hurricane Fiona

Ap. “Hurricane Fiona Rips through Powerless Puerto Rico.” Bloomberg.Com, Bloomberg, 18 Sept. 2022, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-18/hurricane-threat-as-tropical-storm-fiona-aims-at-puerto-rico.

The strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria was Hurricane Fiona five years later. Although it was only a category one, the weakest category for a hurricane, it still brought “historic levels of rain, catastrophic damage, and an island-wide blackout” 4. The island still suffers from frequent power outages and thousands of residents live not knowing whether or not they will have power most days11. This is not only due to hurricanes, but also the current electricity grid which uses 40-year-old gas power plants that have a life expectancy of 20 years11.

Municipalities in the Mountains

Image: Image: Unsplash. “Photo by Wenhao Ryan on Unsplash.” Unsplash.com, 27 Apr. 2019, unsplash.com/photos/landscape-of-a-mountain-jEUEpfjpe6Q. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.

About 60% of Puerto Rico is covered in mountains, but they are the most sparsely populated regions on the island18.

<- Image: “San Juan Mayor Calls for Canceling ‘alarming’ Contract for Puerto Rican Power Repairs.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, news.yahoo.com/san-juan-mayor-calls-cancelling-alarming-contract-puerto-rican-power-repairs-132636239.html. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Due to the difficult terrain, these regions are often the last to receive power. For example, Adjuntas, a city with an elevation of 1,647ft,  lacked power for up to 11 months after Hurricane Maria2,13. This is because to repair the grid and get electricity to these areas, power companies have to use helicopters to fly 85-foot poles up the mountains due to the terrain being inaccessible by truck6.

These communities are also some of the poorest in the socioeconomic status of Puerto Rico and yet they need to pay 2x the average rate in the United States for their electricity2. Apart from that financial stress the constant damage from natural disasters compounds their financial needs. Many people become reliant on diesel generators, but these require a constant supply of fuel which exhausts financial accounts when electricity is out for months.

Population Census of Puerto Rico. United States Census Bureau, April 1, 2020. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/map/PR/POP010220.
National Geographic Society. Geographic features of Puerto Rico. Welcome to Puerto Rico, 2003, https://welcome.topuertorico.org/geogra.shtml. Accessed 30 November 2023.
Wang, Sijia. “Poverty Status in Puerto Rico (2015).” Wikipedia, 14 November 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Maria#:~:text=The%20hurricane%20completely%20destroyed%20the,
3.4%20million%20residents%20without%20electricity. Accessed 30 November 2023. 

Schools

After Hurricane Maria enrollment in schools across Puerto Rico dropped by 35,000 students13. Due to the inconsistency in electricity, the schoolchildren who stay often miss several weeks to months of school. Due to the lack of generators schools sometimes have to send their students home early due to the danger of heat-related emergencies that occur in more than 50% of public schools15. These disruptions in learning have derailed education several leading to only 1% of Puerto Rican 3rd graders performing reading on grade level compared to the 67% in the United States16. Not only are schools teaching less effectively and closing early sometimes they never reopen. This affects rural communities disproportionately given that 65% of school closures happen in rural areas17.

Image: “The Disappearing Schools of Puerto Rico.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/12/magazine/puerto-rico-schools-hurricane-maria.html.


References
  1. “The Debate over Political Status.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-Rico/The-debate-over-political-status. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  2. Garza, Alejandro de la. “A Puerto Rico Town Takes Climate Action into Its Own Hands.” Time, Time, 20 Mar. 2023, time.com/6264631/puerto-rico-adjuntas-solar-microgrid/.
  3. US Department of Commerce, NOAA. “Major Hurricane Maria – September 20, 2017.” Major Hurricane Maria – September 20, 2017, NOAA’s National Weather Service, 13 July 2021, www.weather.gov/sju/maria2017.
  4. “Hurricane Fiona Situation Reports.” Energy.Gov, www.energy.gov/ceser/hurricane-fiona-situation-reports. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  5. Diaz, Jaclyn. “5 Numbers That Show Hurricane Fiona’s Devastating Impact on Puerto Rico.” NPR, NPR, 23 Sept. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124345084/impact-hurricane-fiona-puerto-rico.
  6. Florido, Adrian, et al. “Restoring Power to Puerto Rico’s Last 2 Percent.” NPR, NPR, 3 May 2018, www.npr.org/2018/05/03/607781376/restoring-power-to-puerto-ricos-last-two-percent.
  7. “Puerto Rico Geography.” Welcome to Puerto Rico!, welcome.topuertorico.org/geogra.shtml. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  8. Puerto Rico – Census.Gov, www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd116/st_based/CD116_PR.pdf. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  9. “Economy of Puerto Rico.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Puerto_Rico.
  10. “Hurricane Maria.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Maria#:~:text=The%20hurricane%20completely%20destroyed%20the,3.4%20million%20residents%20without%20electricity.
  11. ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/US/puerto-ricos-electric-system-chaotic-experts-weigh/story?id=80612665. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  12. Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/puerto-rico/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  13. “Geo Adjuntas – Puerto Rico.” Temperature – Precipitation – Sunshine – Snowfall, www.usclimatedata.com/map/USPR0001. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  14. “Kids Are Back in School in Puerto Rico. but Hurricane Maria’s Effects Still Linger.” Tampa Bay Times, www.tampabay.com/news/education/Kids-are-back-in-school-in-Puerto-Rico-But-Hurricane-Maria-s-effects-still-linger_170882206/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
  15. COTO, D&Aacute;NICA. “Puerto Rico’s Public Schools Clamor for Air Conditioning to Get Relief from Record-Breaking Heat.” AP News, AP News, 8 Sept. 2023, apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-schools-air-conditioning-climate-change-395be889b481d78b72448e9531c7cc5a.
  16. Modan, Naaz. “Only 67% of 3rd Graders Performed at Grade Level in Reading This Spring.” K, 14 Sept. 2022, www.k12dive.com/news/only-67-of-3rd-graders-performed-at-grade-level-in-reading-this-spring/631871/.“Population Decline and School Closure in Puerto Rico.” Lumina Foundation, 20 May 2019,
  17. www.luminafoundation.org/resource/population-decline-and-school-closure-in-puerto-rico/.
  18. Suzanne Van Atten About the Author Suzanne Van Atten has written about destinations throughout the United States, et al. “The Climate and Geography of Puerto Rico.” Moon Travel Guides, 27 Sept. 2023, www.moon.com/travel/planning/the-climate-and-geography-of-puerto-rico/#:~:text=More%20than%2060%20percent%20of,Luquillo%2C%20and%20Sierra%20de%20Bermeja.