1 00:00:01,233 --> 00:00:03,666 JUDY WOODRUFF: Next: an update from Puerto Rico. 2 00:00:03,666 --> 00:00:08,233 Nearly four months after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island in late September, as Jeffrey Brown 3 00:00:10,166 --> 00:00:13,933 explores, the return to anything like normal life for most residents has been agonizingly 4 00:00:14,533 --> 00:00:16,500 slow. 5 00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:19,800 JEFFREY BROWN: Official figures show that, of the island's 1.5 million customers, just 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,433 900,000 have had their power restored. 7 00:00:22,433 --> 00:00:25,800 Businesses continue to struggle and many schools remain closed. 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,666 Special correspondent Monica Villamizar is in Puerto Rico with a "NewsHour" team looking 9 00:00:30,666 --> 00:00:32,133 at how people there are coping. 10 00:00:32,133 --> 00:00:33,833 She joins us from Caguas. 11 00:00:33,833 --> 00:00:37,000 And, Monica, first, just give us a sense of what it feels like there. 12 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,733 What are people telling you about the impact on their lives? 13 00:00:39,733 --> 00:00:41,766 How easy is it to get around? 14 00:00:41,766 --> 00:00:46,033 MONICA VILLAMIZAR: Well, Jeff, mobility has certainly improved in San Juan, the capital. 15 00:00:46,033 --> 00:00:47,900 But there are still many things that need to be fixed. 16 00:00:47,900 --> 00:00:50,200 So, there are snapped power line. 17 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,333 Eight out of 10 traffic lights are not working, so you can imagine what that does to traffic. 18 00:00:54,333 --> 00:00:56,433 It is pretty chaotic at times. 19 00:00:56,433 --> 00:00:59,633 And as soon as you leave the capital, then things are much worse and there is a lot of 20 00:00:59,633 --> 00:01:00,966 devastation still. 21 00:01:00,966 --> 00:01:03,033 There is debris near the roads. 22 00:01:03,033 --> 00:01:07,900 There's collapsed trees, collapsed buildings that have not been repaired and a lot of crops 23 00:01:08,766 --> 00:01:10,533 that will simply not grow back. 24 00:01:10,533 --> 00:01:13,300 So, for instance, in supermarkets and restaurants, there's no fruit. 25 00:01:13,300 --> 00:01:14,800 There is no plantains. 26 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,600 There is a scarcity of goods still here in the island. 27 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,233 And, you know, Puerto Ricans are trying to rebuild. 28 00:01:20,233 --> 00:01:25,166 They have been very resilient and dignified, but, frankly, they are a traumatized population 29 00:01:25,166 --> 00:01:27,700 at this point. 30 00:01:27,700 --> 00:01:30,700 Many times, we are interviewing people and they teared up, because it is kind of a secondary 31 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:34,400 phase that they are living now, which is when things are starting to sink in. 32 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,933 Many of them lost everything they had, everything they had worked for. 33 00:01:37,933 --> 00:01:41,233 And there is no clear, you know, horizon or future ahead of them. 34 00:01:41,233 --> 00:01:42,900 JEFFREY BROWN: Yes. 35 00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:45,000 MONICA VILLAMIZAR: Many say: We just simply don't know what to do. 36 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,166 JEFFREY BROWN: One of the key issues there, I know, is security, including growing crime. 37 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:52,166 What are you seeing and what kind of impact is that having on people? 38 00:01:52,166 --> 00:01:53,833 MONICA VILLAMIZAR: You are absolutely right. 39 00:01:53,833 --> 00:01:56,533 The numbers are worrying. 40 00:01:56,533 --> 00:02:01,300 They say 32 people have been murdered this year, so in about 10 days. 41 00:02:01,300 --> 00:02:04,233 And that's extremely high for Puerto Rico. 42 00:02:04,233 --> 00:02:08,200 Our sources are telling us that this is mostly drug-related, that there is some kind of turf 43 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:10,766 war between drug gangs. 44 00:02:10,766 --> 00:02:14,633 These gangs were not active after the hurricane because they had to, you know, rebuild themselves 45 00:02:14,633 --> 00:02:17,933 and had all these situations going on in their families. 46 00:02:17,933 --> 00:02:20,100 And now crime is starting to pick up. 47 00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:25,100 But there is also a generalized feeling among the general public that there is insecurity. 48 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:28,400 You know, streets are dark, for instance, because of the lack of power at night. 49 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,400 The police are not there. 50 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,633 There is less police presence because they are not being paid overtime. 51 00:02:34,633 --> 00:02:35,800 And they haven't been paid. 52 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,300 So, they are less motivated to go to work. 53 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:42,033 So it is kind of a chain of events that means that the security situation is deteriorating. 54 00:02:42,033 --> 00:02:46,466 JEFFREY BROWN: And I know that you are also looking at the situation for schools, the 55 00:02:46,466 --> 00:02:51,333 issue of how many schools are open, and also how many people, including students and teachers, 56 00:02:51,333 --> 00:02:52,866 have left the island. 57 00:02:52,866 --> 00:02:54,433 What impact is that having? 58 00:02:54,433 --> 00:02:56,533 MONICA VILLAMIZAR: That's having a very big impact. 59 00:02:56,533 --> 00:03:00,900 And I can tell you that the Federation of Teachers, who have very reliable statistics 60 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:05,866 on this, are telling us that 23,000 students have already left to the mainland. 61 00:03:07,333 --> 00:03:09,066 They are saying as well that a number of teachers have left. 62 00:03:09,066 --> 00:03:11,166 Now, these teachers are very qualified. 63 00:03:11,166 --> 00:03:14,800 They are seeking jobs in Florida, New York, other places, so that means there is effectively 64 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:16,533 a brain drain on the island. 65 00:03:16,533 --> 00:03:19,233 These people will not be released, and that is going to have an impact. 66 00:03:19,233 --> 00:03:23,133 And also the secretary of education, Julia Keleher, has said, you know what, some schools 67 00:03:23,133 --> 00:03:27,700 will just simply not reopen because there wasn't enough enrollment. 68 00:03:27,700 --> 00:03:29,833 You know, the classes are empty. 69 00:03:29,833 --> 00:03:33,500 So, there's been a real shift, or there will be a real shift in demographics in the island 70 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:37,433 as people try to leave for the mainland to try to find a better future. 71 00:03:37,433 --> 00:03:40,933 And that's going to have an impact, not only on the education sector, but in other sectors 72 00:03:40,933 --> 00:03:42,966 as well. 73 00:03:42,966 --> 00:03:45,033 JEFFREY BROWN: Just briefly, you have mentioned several times the power line, the impact on 74 00:03:45,033 --> 00:03:46,266 the security. 75 00:03:46,266 --> 00:03:48,833 So, power continues to be a problem there? 76 00:03:48,833 --> 00:03:51,033 MONICA VILLAMIZAR: A very big problem, indeed. 77 00:03:51,033 --> 00:03:56,033 And the director of PREPA, which is the electric authority, said maybe like 40 percent of people 78 00:03:57,533 --> 00:03:59,666 don't have power now, maybe they won't get it until May. 79 00:03:59,666 --> 00:04:03,666 So that means, Jeff, that they will be living off generators, for those who can afford the 80 00:04:03,666 --> 00:04:08,666 generators and the fuel, for eight months to have their things refrigerated, medicine, 81 00:04:09,700 --> 00:04:10,933 you know, refrigerated, and freezers. 82 00:04:10,933 --> 00:04:13,033 It has just changed their life completely. 83 00:04:13,033 --> 00:04:17,566 And more worryingly perhaps is that they are now realizing that these are all short-term 84 00:04:17,566 --> 00:04:19,066 fixes. 85 00:04:19,066 --> 00:04:21,333 The whole power system of Puerto Rico is very old. 86 00:04:21,333 --> 00:04:23,266 It was very poorly maintained. 87 00:04:23,266 --> 00:04:25,433 So maybe some things will have to be rebuilt from scratch. 88 00:04:25,433 --> 00:04:29,733 But that is a big problem, because the island is bankrupt and the power authority has no 89 00:04:29,733 --> 00:04:30,766 money either. 90 00:04:30,766 --> 00:04:32,733 So it is a very dire situation. 91 00:04:32,733 --> 00:04:35,533 JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Monica, I know you and your team will have stories for us in 92 00:04:35,533 --> 00:04:36,900 the coming days. 93 00:04:36,900 --> 00:04:38,633 For now, Monica Villamizar, thanks very much. 94 00:04:38,633 --> 00:04:39,066 MONICA VILLAMIZAR: Thank you, Jeff.