1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:01,101 >> Sreenivasan: FOR MORE ON THE 2 00:00:01,101 --> 00:00:02,736 DIRE SITUATION IN PUERTO RICO, 3 00:00:02,736 --> 00:00:04,604 I'M JOINED VIA SKYPE BY JESSICA 4 00:00:04,604 --> 00:00:06,272 RIOS VINER, A REPORTER WITH THE 5 00:00:06,272 --> 00:00:08,008 NEWSPAPER, "EL NUEVO DIA." 6 00:00:08,008 --> 00:00:09,409 SHE'S IN GUAYNABO, TEN MILES 7 00:00:09,409 --> 00:00:11,211 SOUTH OF SAN JUAN. 8 00:00:11,211 --> 00:00:13,213 WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE FOR THE PAST 9 00:00:13,213 --> 00:00:14,214 24, 48 HOURS? 10 00:00:14,214 --> 00:00:15,482 YOU'RE IN A PLACE THAT HAS 11 00:00:15,482 --> 00:00:17,851 POWER-- YOUR NEWSPAPER OFFICES-- 12 00:00:17,851 --> 00:00:20,553 BUT JUST DESCRIBE THE SCENE. 13 00:00:20,553 --> 00:00:21,888 >> OKAY, WELL, RIGHT NOW, I'M IN 14 00:00:21,888 --> 00:00:23,957 THE METROPOLITAN AREA. 15 00:00:23,957 --> 00:00:24,657 THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE 16 00:00:24,657 --> 00:00:27,160 COMMUNICATION IS FLOWING. 17 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:28,762 WE'RE VERY-- IT'S VERY, VERY 18 00:00:28,762 --> 00:00:30,130 HARD TO REACH THE PEOPLE THAT 19 00:00:30,130 --> 00:00:33,033 ARE AROUND THE COAST OF THE 20 00:00:33,033 --> 00:00:36,036 ISLAND AND ON THE MOUNTAINS. 21 00:00:36,036 --> 00:00:37,604 WE HAVE A GENERATOR HERE, BUT 22 00:00:37,604 --> 00:00:39,806 WE'RE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE 23 00:00:39,806 --> 00:00:41,274 CONNECTIONS. 24 00:00:41,274 --> 00:00:43,176 SOME OF THE COMMUNICATION TOWERS 25 00:00:43,176 --> 00:00:45,045 FELL, AND THERE'S ALMOST NO 26 00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:46,179 COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE 27 00:00:46,179 --> 00:00:47,113 ISLAND. 28 00:00:47,113 --> 00:00:50,083 THERE HAVE BEEN MANY AREAS WHERE 29 00:00:50,083 --> 00:00:52,252 THE MAYORS HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO 30 00:00:52,252 --> 00:00:53,920 GO TO SEE HOW THEY ARE BECAUSE 31 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,557 THE STREETS ARE BLOCKED WITH 32 00:00:57,557 --> 00:01:02,796 LAMPPOSTS, ELECTRIC POSTS, JUST 33 00:01:02,796 --> 00:01:04,297 BRANCHES, TREES. 34 00:01:04,297 --> 00:01:04,864 >> Sreenivasan: HOW 35 00:01:04,864 --> 00:01:06,232 SIGNIFICANT IS THE FLOODING THAT 36 00:01:06,232 --> 00:01:08,034 YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE, GIVEN 37 00:01:08,034 --> 00:01:09,602 THAT YOU'RE EXPECTING EVEN MORE 38 00:01:09,602 --> 00:01:10,804 RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND? 39 00:01:10,804 --> 00:01:12,372 >> YEAH, WELL, WE HAVE AREAS 40 00:01:12,372 --> 00:01:15,341 THAT HAD TO BE COMPLETELY 41 00:01:15,341 --> 00:01:16,676 EVACUATED. 42 00:01:16,676 --> 00:01:18,912 WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE DAM 43 00:01:18,912 --> 00:01:21,448 AT GUATAJACA THAT'S ABOUT TO 44 00:01:21,448 --> 00:01:24,951 BREAK, AND ALL THAT AREA IS 45 00:01:24,951 --> 00:01:26,252 GOING TO BE FLOODED. 46 00:01:26,252 --> 00:01:26,920 >> Sreenivasan: THE CITIZENS 47 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,256 PREPARING FOR A LONG SLOG 48 00:01:30,256 --> 00:01:30,690 THROUGH THIS. 49 00:01:30,690 --> 00:01:31,958 I MEAN, GIVEN THAT WE'VE SEEN 50 00:01:31,958 --> 00:01:33,226 REPORT AFTER REPORT SAYING IT 51 00:01:33,226 --> 00:01:35,061 COULD BE A VERY LONG TIME UNTIL 52 00:01:35,061 --> 00:01:36,496 POWER IS RESTORED THROUGHOUT THE 53 00:01:36,496 --> 00:01:37,097 ISLAND. 54 00:01:37,097 --> 00:01:38,331 YOU'RE ALREADY IN ECONOMIC 55 00:01:38,331 --> 00:01:39,032 STRAITS. 56 00:01:39,032 --> 00:01:39,599 YOU DON'T HAVE THE 57 00:01:39,599 --> 00:01:40,667 INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE ABLE TO 58 00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:43,937 CLEAR THE TREES AND MOBILIZE 59 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:45,572 GOVERNMENT RESOURCES. 60 00:01:45,572 --> 00:01:48,341 >> I DON'T THINK ANYONE WAS 61 00:01:48,341 --> 00:01:50,577 PREPARED FOR THIS. 62 00:01:50,577 --> 00:01:53,980 I MEAN, I-- THERE'S JUST-- THERE 63 00:01:53,980 --> 00:01:55,715 ARE AREAS WHERE THEY'RE SAYING 64 00:01:55,715 --> 00:01:57,317 IT COULD TAKE A YEAR BECAUSE 65 00:01:57,317 --> 00:01:59,953 THEY HAVE TO REBUILD EVERYTHING, 66 00:01:59,953 --> 00:02:01,054 THAT IT COULD TAKE A YEAR TO GET 67 00:02:01,054 --> 00:02:01,821 SOME POWER. 68 00:02:01,821 --> 00:02:03,389 WATER, WE HAD NO WATER ON THE 69 00:02:03,389 --> 00:02:05,325 WHOLE ISLAND, BUT NOW THEY JUST 70 00:02:05,325 --> 00:02:07,393 SAID 20%, 25% ARE GETTING THEIR 71 00:02:07,393 --> 00:02:10,830 WATER BACK BECAUSE THEY PUT THE 72 00:02:10,830 --> 00:02:12,332 DAMS ON GENERATORS. 73 00:02:12,332 --> 00:02:12,999 >> Sreenivasan: YOU KNOW, I 74 00:02:12,999 --> 00:02:15,435 REALIZE THIS IS HOME FOR YOU, 75 00:02:15,435 --> 00:02:17,070 THIS IS HOME FOR 3.5 MILLION 76 00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:18,705 AMERICANS, BUT AT THIS POINT ARE 77 00:02:18,705 --> 00:02:20,440 PEOPLE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW 78 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:21,708 TO MOVE THEIR LIVES SOMEWHERE 79 00:02:21,708 --> 00:02:23,510 ELSE, PERHAPS TO THE MAINLAND? 80 00:02:23,510 --> 00:02:24,644 >> THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE 81 00:02:24,644 --> 00:02:27,914 CONSIDERING, YOU KNOW, MOVING. 82 00:02:27,914 --> 00:02:30,116 BUT THERE'S ALSO-- I MEAN, YOU 83 00:02:30,116 --> 00:02:31,284 KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS THE BAD 84 00:02:31,284 --> 00:02:32,652 THING, PEOPLE THAT ARE ROBBING 85 00:02:32,652 --> 00:02:35,088 STUFF; BUT THERE'S ALSO A UNITY 86 00:02:35,088 --> 00:02:36,623 IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE 87 00:02:36,623 --> 00:02:37,924 ARE HELPING EACH OTHER, YOU 88 00:02:37,924 --> 00:02:39,192 KNOW, CLEAR THE STREETS, YOU 89 00:02:39,192 --> 00:02:40,927 KNOW, PEOPLE LENDING PHONES SO 90 00:02:40,927 --> 00:02:41,995 THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN 91 00:02:41,995 --> 00:02:43,129 COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FAMILY 92 00:02:43,129 --> 00:02:44,664 MEMBERS. 93 00:02:44,664 --> 00:02:45,298 >> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT, 94 00:02:45,298 --> 00:02:47,033 JESSICA RIOS VINER, A DIFFICULT 95 00:02:47,033 --> 00:02:47,333 JOB. 96 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:47,867 A REPORTER WITH THE 97 00:02:47,867 --> 00:02:49,102 NEWSPAPER, "EL NUEVO DIA." 98 00:02:49,102 --> 00:02:51,538 THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. 99 00:02:50,303 --> 00:02:51,571 >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.