Hurricane Maria had devastated Puerto Rico and destroyed its infrastructure. It also disrupted its education system by uprooting electric poles and plunging the island into darkness. That forced students and teachers to flee to the United States mainland to escape from the aftereffects of the disaster because life minus electricity is unthinkable. As a result, many schools are now on the verge of closure because of a shortage of students.
ABC News reports that the U.S. Department of Education has earmarked $589 million in federal disaster assistance to rebuild the setup.
However, the Puerto Rico Department of Education has revealed that as many as 283 schools are earmarked for closure because of a drop in student enrollment that can be attributed to Hurricane Maria.
Rebuilding Puerto Rico
The funds that have been assigned to Puerto Rico will help to rebuild the education system that has been crippled by Hurricane Maria. Governor Ricardo Rossello feels this grant will benefit all those who are associated in the profession and bring back normalcy. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the allotment that has now been made is a part of a larger investment in the education system.
The recovery will not be easy. According to officials in the Puerto Rico Department of Education, the number of students has dropped since May 2017 and is likely to drop still further by August 2018.
Many of the schools are operating at 60 percent capacity. Hence, those who have left the island and gone to the United States mainland must return. For that to happen, the administration must ensure that electricity is fully restored and the basic infrastructure is suitably modified so that it can withstand another disaster.
Hurricanes wreak havoc
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September last year, and it destroyed the infrastructure, especially the electrical grid that left the residents without power. People were evacuated to the mainland in large numbers, and the official death toll was put at 64. However, subsequent studies indicated a much higher figure.
The power situation is improving but has not yet been completely restored.
Hurricane Maria was one of several disasters that struck the United States last year. There were Hurricanes Irma and Harvey apart from wildfires that destroyed infrastructure on a large scale. Rebuilding them will require funds that could run into billions of dollars. Such disasters are manmade because man is not serious about global warming which is the root cause.
