The U.S Army Corps Of Engineers announced yesterday that several parts of Puerto Rico would be without power until late May. Several months after hurricane Maria decimated the island and left it in its current state.
Through tweets, the USACE said that 95% of the island would have their power restored, even in remote areas. This news has received a lukewarm response from many of the 3.5 million residents on the island. 450,000 of which are believed to be without power as of late January. The organization alleges that the primary limiting factor in this recovery is the delivery of materials.
Help being turned away
Although there have been several reports of philanthropist being turned away by the U.S Government, including recording artist, Akon, who revealed earlier this week in an interview with TMZ that his humanitarian group, Akon Lighting Africa, had a plan to light the entire island in 30 days, but were rejected.
“It’s politics, propaganda, and special interests,” Akon said. “They didn’t care about the people – if that was the case, they would have allowed us to go in and provide the solution.”
Akon Lighting Africa is a group that has restored power to several countries in Africa using solar technology. The concept of using solar to solve Puerto Rico's energy crisis has been brought up before, but largely ignored by the powers that be.
Although several U.S officials continue to insist that everything is being done to facilitate the recovery.
The people trying to restore power
Many people on the island have decided to take matters into their own hands by repairing electric power poles and trying to tap into the countries power grid to light their communities.
"We are doing what we have to do," said a resident in Cuomo, who was part of a group that's been hacking into the power grid to restore power. "Police are arresting anyone that isn't military or an electric company employee, yet, are not providing immediate solutions to our problems. Even when there are clear options available to them.
100% restoration not possible
Even with this recent announcement from the USACE, they point out that a full 100% restoration will not be possible since many of the houses that were destroyed in more remote areas will not be rebuilt. Still, with so many potential solutions being rejected, the question of whether or not this recovery could have been completed months ago is still a valid one. And for the residents of Puerto Rico living through this crisis, one that should be answered.
