Puerto Rico (HAven't Kept Up) Is there any commerce/business, do Toilets Flush, Banks Closed, Etc

NYC I can understand, (just deserts) but what Y'all got against Florida Tully? We already got enough Mickey Mouse stuff goin on round here. LOL

 

One thing about down there...... Da Mouse always survives. Bet they were open for business the day after the hurricane. They could make a lot of good will if they'd help the relief effort, but their bottom line is more important.

 

i am with you
Seawolf1090
some rich person should make everything GOOD

 

Puerto Rico is the perfect example of what happens, when you fail to prepare for the worst case scenario (or, in their case, anything but the best case scenario!), and then get hit by it! Must have been too busy, handing out tax dollars to the needy, to bother putting ANY money into beefing up the infrastructure, or having back-up plans.

And before anyone cries and whines about what I just said, or thinks that I don't know what I'm talking about, know this. PR and Guam are in the same boat, money-wise. Through a deal with the US government, they collect the income taxes withheld from their resident's paychecks, and issue any refunds due, while utilizing those taxes to finance their own budget (in lieu of the IRS doing it, then Congress having to approve a budget for them, every year). This is actually a great deal for them, as, if they keep their local economy strong, they get more tax money. It CAN be a really good deal for them.

But when you run your economy into the ground, borrow to pay debts already incurred, then borrow again to pay the loans, going deeper and deeper into debt, while robbing Peter to pay Paul....well, you end up with Puerto Rico!

In Guam (back in the 90's, when I lived there), they successfully installed backup generators at all the water wells, and all the pumping stations. All the telephone lines (operated by Guam Telephone Authority) were buried underground. The power poles were almost completely replaced by reinforced concrete poles (which are made locally, as no one manufactures them for sale), and the building codes were changed, way back in the late 70's, to push people into building with reinforced concrete construction (including the roof). Yes, you lost power, during a strong enough storm....but since power lines are infinitely easier to string back up, when the poles are still intact (and you don't have to replace the wooden poles....which, by the way, typically fail, because the termites eat the center out of the pole, where the creosote doesn't get pushed into, effectively gutting the pole, and making it much more susceptible to damage).

Guam residents are also hit by many more hurricane strength storms, than Puerto Rico is, so they're used to preparing for it. Water, batteries, wood to cook (outside) with, etc. Most larger businesses have their own generators, and ALL the hotels (filled with tourists) do. People help each other out, and make the best of a bad situation.....instead of whining and crying about needing help!

Shoot, back in December of 1997, we were hit by Super Typhoon Paka, which (officially) had winds over 180 knots. I say "officially", because they were measured higher on the Doppler radar, but in order to be official, must be measured with a calibrated wind measuring instrument, which then has to be checked for accuracy again, before the figures are official.....and that sucker flew away, during the storm! Less than a week after the storm hit, I had power back. Less than a month later, and 90+% of the island had power restored.

Not surprisingly, Guam typically votes more toward the "left", as does Puerto Rico. But I'm here to tell you, that's where the similarities certainly seem to end!

 

Puerto Rico is basically Nawlins writ large. No attempt to beef up infrastructure, even when given money to do so.
Had they done that, the situation wouldn't be as bad.