>> Sreenivasan: FOR MORE ON THE

DIRE SITUATION IN PUERTO RICO,

I'M JOINED VIA SKYPE BY JESSICA

RIOS VINER, A REPORTER WITH THE

NEWSPAPER, "EL NUEVO DIA."

SHE'S IN GUAYNABO, TEN MILES

SOUTH OF SAN JUAN.

WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE FOR THE PAST

24, 48 HOURS?

YOU'RE IN A PLACE THAT HAS

POWER-- YOUR NEWSPAPER OFFICES--

BUT JUST DESCRIBE THE SCENE.

>> OKAY, WELL, RIGHT NOW, I'M IN

THE METROPOLITAN AREA.

THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE

COMMUNICATION IS FLOWING.

WE'RE VERY-- IT'S VERY, VERY

HARD TO REACH THE PEOPLE THAT

ARE AROUND THE COAST OF THE

ISLAND AND ON THE MOUNTAINS.

WE HAVE A GENERATOR HERE, BUT

WE'RE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE

CONNECTIONS.

SOME OF THE COMMUNICATION TOWERS

FELL, AND THERE'S ALMOST NO

COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE

ISLAND.

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY AREAS WHERE

THE MAYORS HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO

GO TO SEE HOW THEY ARE BECAUSE

THE STREETS ARE BLOCKED WITH

LAMPPOSTS, ELECTRIC POSTS, JUST

BRANCHES, TREES.

>> Sreenivasan: HOW

SIGNIFICANT IS THE FLOODING THAT

YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE, GIVEN

THAT YOU'RE EXPECTING EVEN MORE

RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND?

>> YEAH, WELL, WE HAVE AREAS

THAT HAD TO BE COMPLETELY

EVACUATED.

WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE DAM

AT GUATAJACA THAT'S ABOUT TO

BREAK, AND ALL THAT AREA IS

GOING TO BE FLOODED.

>> Sreenivasan: THE CITIZENS

PREPARING FOR A LONG SLOG

THROUGH THIS.

I MEAN, GIVEN THAT WE'VE SEEN

REPORT AFTER REPORT SAYING IT

COULD BE A VERY LONG TIME UNTIL

POWER IS RESTORED THROUGHOUT THE

ISLAND.

YOU'RE ALREADY IN ECONOMIC

STRAITS.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE

INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE ABLE TO

CLEAR THE TREES AND MOBILIZE

GOVERNMENT RESOURCES.

>> I DON'T THINK ANYONE WAS

PREPARED FOR THIS.

I MEAN, I-- THERE'S JUST-- THERE

ARE AREAS WHERE THEY'RE SAYING

IT COULD TAKE A YEAR BECAUSE

THEY HAVE TO REBUILD EVERYTHING,

THAT IT COULD TAKE A YEAR TO GET

SOME POWER.

WATER, WE HAD NO WATER ON THE

WHOLE ISLAND, BUT NOW THEY JUST

SAID 20%, 25% ARE GETTING THEIR

WATER BACK BECAUSE THEY PUT THE

DAMS ON GENERATORS.

>> Sreenivasan: YOU KNOW, I

REALIZE THIS IS HOME FOR YOU,

THIS IS HOME FOR 3.5 MILLION

AMERICANS, BUT AT THIS POINT ARE

PEOPLE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW

TO MOVE THEIR LIVES SOMEWHERE

ELSE, PERHAPS TO THE MAINLAND?

>> THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE

CONSIDERING, YOU KNOW, MOVING.

BUT THERE'S ALSO-- I MEAN, YOU

KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS THE BAD

THING, PEOPLE THAT ARE ROBBING

STUFF; BUT THERE'S ALSO A UNITY

IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE

ARE HELPING EACH OTHER, YOU

KNOW, CLEAR THE STREETS, YOU

KNOW, PEOPLE LENDING PHONES SO

THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN

COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FAMILY

MEMBERS.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT,

JESSICA RIOS VINER, A DIFFICULT

JOB.

A REPORTER WITH THE

NEWSPAPER, "EL NUEVO DIA."

THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.