The 'Third-world Government' of Puerto Rico
Of all of the duties of government, the primary duty is to protect its citizens. I received this video clip showing Hurricane Maria hitting San Juan.
Why are there so many people out on the street? There was plenty of advance notice of the storm available to those who cared, and yet it looks like there were scores of people taken by surprise!
...as Maria approached. Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) struggled with increasing debt, reaching $9 billion even before the hurricanes prompting them to file for bankruptcy. Furthermore, the company lost 30 percent of its employees since 2012. Aging infrastructure across the island makes the grid more susceptible to damage from storms; the median age of PREPA power plants is 44 years. Inadequate safety also plagues the company and local newspapers frequently describe poor maintenance and outdated controls...
When a government can't perform the simple task of properly relaying a storm warning to its constituency, is it any wonder that it can't function in the storm's aftermath....
/fl