JUDY WOODRUFF: Next: an
update from Puerto Rico.
Nearly four months after
Hurricane Maria ravaged
the island in late
September, as Jeffrey Brown
explores, the return to anything
like normal life for most
residents has been agonizingly
slow.
JEFFREY BROWN: Official figures
show that, of the island's
1.5 million customers, just
900,000 have had
their power restored.
Businesses continue to struggle
and many schools remain closed.
Special correspondent Monica
Villamizar is in Puerto Rico
with a "NewsHour" team looking
at how people there are coping.
She joins us from Caguas.
And, Monica, first, just
give us a sense of what
it feels like there.
What are people telling you
about the impact on their lives?
How easy is it to get around?
MONICA VILLAMIZAR: Well, Jeff,
mobility has certainly improved
in San Juan, the capital.
But there are still many
things that need to be fixed.
So, there are
snapped power line.
Eight out of 10 traffic
lights are not working,
so you can imagine what
that does to traffic.
It is pretty chaotic at times.
And as soon as you leave the
capital, then things are much
worse and there is a lot of
devastation still.
There is debris near the roads.
There's collapsed trees,
collapsed buildings that
have not been repaired
and a lot of crops
that will simply not grow back.
So, for instance, in
supermarkets and restaurants,
there's no fruit.
There is no plantains.
There is a scarcity of goods
still here in the island.
And, you know, Puerto Ricans
are trying to rebuild.
They have been very
resilient and dignified,
but, frankly, they are
a traumatized population
at this point.
Many times, we are
interviewing people and
they teared up, because
it is kind of a secondary
phase that they are living
now, which is when things
are starting to sink in.
Many of them lost everything
they had, everything
they had worked for.
And there is no clear, you know,
horizon or future ahead of them.
JEFFREY BROWN: Yes.
MONICA VILLAMIZAR: Many
say: We just simply
don't know what to do.
JEFFREY BROWN: One of
the key issues there,
I know, is security,
including growing crime.
What are you seeing and
what kind of impact is
that having on people?
MONICA VILLAMIZAR: You
are absolutely right.
The numbers are worrying.
They say 32 people have
been murdered this year,
so in about 10 days.
And that's extremely
high for Puerto Rico.
Our sources are telling us that
this is mostly drug-related,
that there is some kind of turf
war between drug gangs.
These gangs were not
active after the hurricane
because they had to, you
know, rebuild themselves
and had all these situations
going on in their families.
And now crime is
starting to pick up.
But there is also a generalized
feeling among the general
public that there is insecurity.
You know, streets are dark,
for instance, because of
the lack of power at night.
The police are not there.
There is less police
presence because they are
not being paid overtime.
And they haven't been paid.
So, they are less
motivated to go to work.
So it is kind of a chain
of events that means that
the security situation
is deteriorating.
JEFFREY BROWN: And I know that
you are also looking at the
situation for schools, the
issue of how many schools are
open, and also how many people,
including students and teachers,
have left the island.
What impact is that having?
MONICA VILLAMIZAR: That's
having a very big impact.
And I can tell you that the
Federation of Teachers, who
have very reliable statistics
on this, are telling us
that 23,000 students have
already left to the mainland.
They are saying as well that a
number of teachers have left.
Now, these teachers
are very qualified.
They are seeking jobs in
Florida, New York, other
places, so that means
there is effectively
a brain drain on the island.
These people will not
be released, and that is
going to have an impact.
And also the secretary
of education, Julia
Keleher, has said, you
know what, some schools
will just simply not
reopen because there
wasn't enough enrollment.
You know, the classes are empty.
So, there's been a real shift,
or there will be a real shift
in demographics in the island
as people try to leave
for the mainland to try
to find a better future.
And that's going to have
an impact, not only on
the education sector,
but in other sectors
as well.
JEFFREY BROWN: Just briefly,
you have mentioned several times
the power line, the impact on
the security.
So, power continues
to be a problem there?
MONICA VILLAMIZAR: A
very big problem, indeed.
And the director of PREPA, which
is the electric authority, said
maybe like 40 percent of people
don't have power now, maybe
they won't get it until May.
So that means, Jeff, that they
will be living off generators,
for those who can afford the
generators and the fuel, for
eight months to have their
things refrigerated, medicine,
you know, refrigerated,
and freezers.
It has just changed
their life completely.
And more worryingly perhaps
is that they are now realizing
that these are all short-term
fixes.
The whole power system of
Puerto Rico is very old.
It was very poorly maintained.
So maybe some things will have
to be rebuilt from scratch.
But that is a big problem,
because the island is bankrupt
and the power authority has no
money either.
So it is a very dire situation.
JEFFREY BROWN: All right,
Monica, I know you and your
team will have stories for us in
the coming days.
For now, Monica Villamizar,
thanks very much.
MONICA VILLAMIZAR:
Thank you, Jeff.