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carmen yulin cruz
Puerto Rico Blackout From Fiona Fuels Calls for 'Immediate Climate Action'
While pushing for a shift to green energy, the Sunrise Movement also said that "the catastrophic flooding and loss of power are the result of colonial policies that put profit over the people of PR."
Sep 19, 2022
Progressive U.S. lawmakers and green groups on Monday pointed to the damage and blackout Hurricane Fiona caused across Puerto Rico to demand immediate climate action along with relief efforts that center the needs of the U.S. territory's people.
"The climate crisis is urgent and here. We will continue to fight for policies that can protect our planet and people."
Fiona dumped 30 inches of rain on parts of the Caribbean island almost exactly five years after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, which struck during the recovery from another storm, killing thousands of Puerto Ricans and triggering months of power problems.
In the wake of Maria, as Common Dreams reported Sunday, Puerto Rico's electricity system was controversially privatized. It is now under the control of LUMA Energy, a joint venture by the Canadian company ATCO and Houston-based Quanta Services.
Highlighting the island-wide blackout, Food & Water Watch declared on Twitter Monday that "this is a climate emergency, and it is unacceptable."
\u201cNo, you didn't misread this: the ENTIRE ISLAND of Puerto Rico lost power yesterday. This is a climate emergency, and it is unacceptable. https://t.co/tuuLYJP043\u201d— Food & Water Watch (@Food & Water Watch) 1663610428
LUMA public safety manager Abner Gomez provided an update in a statement Monday.
"We want our customers to know that LUMA has been and will continue to work around the clock to restore power to Puerto Rico following the island-wide outage that began early Sunday afternoon," Gomez said. "While power restoration has now occurred for more than 100,000 customers, LUMA crews continue to work to stabilize the grid."
"We will continue to work nonstop until every customer is restored and the entire grid is reenergized," Gomez added. "While these efforts continue over the coming days, we strongly encourage customers to continue to exercise caution and stay away from any downed power lines."
San Juan-based Democracy Now! correspondent Juan Carlos Davila explained that "we know that we cannot rely on the national electric grid that is now privatized," so post-Maria, some wealthier people have been able to install solar panels and disconnect from the grid.
\u201c"We cannot rely on the national electric grid that is now privatized," says San-Juan based Democracy Now! correspondent Juan Carlos D\u00e1vila (@JuanCineDoc) on the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico over the weekend, leaving nearly 1.5 million without power.\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1663590888
AccuWeather founder and CEO Joel N. Myers estimated Monday the total damage and economic loss from Fiona at around $10 billion, compared to the $90 billion from Maria.
"There has already been catastrophic flooding in some areas, particularly in the mountains," he said. "Additionally, since Sunday afternoon there has been a major failure of the electrical grid resulting in an outage of power to the entire island impacting more than 1.4 million customers or 3.2 million people, and only 100,000 customers, less than 10%, apparently have restored power currently."
"In addition, water service is not available to over 750,000 customers or more than two million people and there is no estimated time for restored power and water service for the rest of the people of Puerto Rico. All major airports in Puerto Rico have been closed since Saturday night," Myers added--before flight departures from San Juan resumed Monday.
Given that Puerto Rico's gross domestic product is about $103 billion per year, "an economic impact of around $10 billion is slightly less than 10% of the GDP, but, significantly, it is equivalent to a severe recession," Myers explained. "Our estimate largely accounts for damage to homes, businesses, medical facilities, roadways, and vehicles as well as power outages, which results in food spoilage and interruption to medical care."
\u201cThe climate crisis continues to drive extreme weather conditions, as Hurricane Fiona has wiped out power in all of Puerto Rico and is making landfall in the Dominican Republic.\nhttps://t.co/XRUmOgBcTA\u201d— Friends of the Earth (Action) (@Friends of the Earth (Action)) 1663610342
Advocacy groups and members of Congress highlighted both the recent and longer history of the island, a colony of Spain and then the United States. Puerto Rico is now considered a U.S. territory, though there are movements for statehood and independence.
"Solidarity with the people of Puerto Rico as they begin to recover from Hurricane Fiona," tweeted the Sunrise Movement. "Our leaders must mobilize every resource to help rebuild. As the climate crisis intensifies, the people of PR must be given the resources and agency to build a livable future on their terms."
"The catastrophic flooding and loss of power are the result of colonial policies that put profit over the people of PR," the youth-led group added. "Puerto Rico deserves Green New Deal-style policies that will build a *public* green energy grid, and invest millions into social services."
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday called for bold U.S. relief efforts in Puerto Rico, noting that the island "has been through so much--from centuries of colonialism to a debt crisis to Hurricane Maria and now Fiona."
\u201cPuerto Rico has been through so much\u2014from centuries of colonialism to a debt crisis to Hurricane Maria and now Fiona. \n\nThe United States government must do everything in its power to help our Puerto Rican family get power back and recover from this storm.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1663611118
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, which authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to " identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment, and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts" of the current crisis.
During a call Monday, Biden assured Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi that the federal team--which already includes 300 personnel and is set to grow in the days ahead--"remains on the job to get it done," especially considering the ongoing recovery from Maria.
That's according to the White House account of the call, which also said that "Gov. Pierluisi expressed his appreciation for the partnership and support that he is receiving already from the Biden administration."
Appearing on Democracy Now!, Carmen Yulin Cruz, who was mayor of San Juan when Maria hit, urged the Biden administration to deliver aid directly to municipalities and community centers.
\u201cFormer mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, @CarmenYulinCruz calls on the Biden administration to distribute aid directly to municipalities and community centers in Puerto Rico, where 1.5 million are without power following this weekend's Hurricane Fiona.\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1663602900
Other U.S. political figures used the disaster to issue a broad demand for climate action.
"Yesterday, Hurricane Fiona wiped out the power, infrastructure, and more in Puerto Rico. It's devastating. Fiona made landfall today in the Dominican Republic," Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) said Monday. "The climate crisis is urgent and here. We will continue to fight for policies that can protect our planet and people."
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) similarly said that "my heart goes out to the people impacted by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The climate crisis continues to devastate vulnerable communities worldwide. To mitigate the disastrous effects, we need immediate climate action."
Also appearing on Democracy Now!, climate scientist Michael Mann--whose research has connected fossil fuel-driven global heating to more destructive Atlantic hurricanes--explained that "we are witnessing the devastating consequences of climate change now."
\u201c"We are experiencing devastating consequences of past climate inaction," says climate scientist @MichaelEMann on this weekend's climate disasters in Puerto Rico, Japan and Alaska.\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1663592483
Along with destructive extreme weather, research continues to illustrate the need to swiftly transition away from fossil fuels. A database published Monday showed that burning all of the planet's coal, gas, and oil reserves would exceed the world's "carbon budget" seven times over.
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As Rossello Resigns, Renewed Protests Demand 'Real and Radical Change' Instead of Continued Austerity and Corruption
"We didn't demand the resignation of a corrupted government, for having another equally corrupted. We are demanding a real alternative."
Aug 03, 2019
Stepping down after mass protests over alleged corruption and leaked messages in which he denigrated women and LGBTQ people, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello appointed his secretary of state to succeed him--but elation over the success of the recent protests gave way to more demonstrations against the new governor.
Hundreds of Puerto Ricans marched to the governor's mansion Friday night, decrying the appointment of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi as an illegitimate continuation of Rossello's policies.
"We are demanding a real and radical change in [Puerto Rico], in the way that politics are done. We didn't demand the resignation of a corrupted government, for having another equally corrupted," Gabriel Nasario, a protester, told Al Jazeera. "We are demanding a real alternative."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated Puerto Ricans on forcing Rossello out of office and said the island must now "receive fair and responsive representation."
\u201cThe Puerto Rican people came together, stood up, and forced Governor Rossell\u00f3 to resign. They showed us what ordinary people can achieve when we organize. Our job now is to make sure they get fair and responsive representation. Puerto Rico deserves democracy, not austerity.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1564785374
Pierluisi's term as governor could be very short-lived, as the Senate will vote to approve or reject his appointment on Monday. But critics are wary of the former secretary of state, who has ties to the federal oversight board which has pushed austerity policies as the island territory has struggled with a bankruptcy crisis in recent years and a recession that's gone on for more than a decade.
"He'll keep promoting policies of austerity, cutbacks, everything that the board says," Rosa Cifrian, a professor of nursing who attended the latest demonstrations, told Al Jazeera.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said Friday evening, hours after Pierluisi was sworn in, that her city would file a lawsuit challenging the new governor's appointment early Monday.
"On Monday at 8:00am the Municipality will be filing an appeal challenging the oath of Pierluisi," Yulin Cruz tweeted.
\u201cEl lunes a las 8:00 am el Municipio estar\u00e1 radicando recurso impugnando la juramentaci\u00f3n de Pierluisi. @AgenciaINS @primerahora @ElNuevoDia @noticel @radioislatv @SJUCiudadPatria @RadiodeSanJuan @WKAQ580 @WapaRadio @NoticentroWAPA @TelenoticiasPR \n@ClaridadPR\n@sjdailystar\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1564795202
The ACLU's Puerto Rican chapter accused Pierluisi of "hijacking the constitution" by assuming the role of governor without the input of the territory's Senate.
\u201c#rickyrenuncia is no longer Governor of Puerto Rico. Our 1 1/2 hour long Secretary of State will now be sworn in as new Governor, circumventing Constitutional line of succession. @aclu @latinojustice\u201d— ACLU Puerto Rico (@ACLU Puerto Rico) 1564780185
\u201cGiven that it can be inconvenient, but in Puerto Rico it really is about the Constitution; not just parts that are convenient. Public officials that swear to defend the constitution are obligated to do so. @ACLU @ColegioSiempre\u201d— ACLU Puerto Rico (@ACLU Puerto Rico) 1564791665
Huffington Post climate reporter Alex Kaufman noted on Twitter that in addition to Pierluisi's ties to the federal oversight board, he is a former fossil fuel lobbyist and, like his predecessor, is in favor of privatizing the public power authority.
If the Senate does not ratify the new governorship on Monday, Pierluisi has said he will hand over the position to the current secretary of justice, Wanda Vasquez, who has come under scrutiny for corruption allegations of her own.
Women's rights groups allege that Vasquez failed to address gender-based violence issues on the island while she was head of Puerto Rico's women's affairs office. She has also been criticized for declining to investigate ethics violations of members of her own party and for her intervention in a theft case involving her son.
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'He Needs to Go!' Hundreds of Thousands Set to Pour Into Streets as Puerto Rico Gov. Rossello Refuses to Resign
"The people are not going to go away. That's what he's hoping for, but we outnumber him."
Jul 22, 2019
As mass street protests demanding his immediate resignation intensified over the weekend and are expected to continue growing Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello stepped down as head of his party on Sunday and announced he will not seek reelection in 2020--but stopped short of leaving his post.
"To every Puerto Rican man and every Puerto Rican woman, I've heard you and I hear you today," Rossello said during a Facebook livestream. "I've made mistakes and I have apologized."
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who is running for governor in 2020, tweeted in response to Rossello's remarks: "It is not enough. He needs to go!"
Rossello's announcement came over a week after the publication of nearly 900 pages of conversations between the governor and his aides, which contained racist and sexist messages and mockery of the victims of Hurricane Maria.
The revelations were met with outrage and sparked a flood of demonstrations calling on Rossello to step down immediately.
\u201cNext up\u2014 bomba, traditional dance, in front of La Fortaleza, calling for governor\u2019s resignation.\u201d— Leyla Santiago (@Leyla Santiago) 1563752402
\u201cEvery night at 8pm people across the island are stepping out onto balconies, into courtyards, into the streets and banging pots and pans for an hour or more. \u2019Caserolazos\u2019 are a Latin-American tradition but have never happened in PR. They\u2019ll continue until Gov. Rossell\u00f3 resigns.\u201d— Adrian Florido (@Adrian Florido) 1563757006
Rossello's decision Sunday came just hours ahead of what is "expected to be one of the biggest protests ever seen" in Puerto Rico, according to the Associated Press.
"Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take over one of the island's busiest highways Monday morning to press demands for the resignation of Rossello over an obscenity-laced leaked online chat the governor had with allies as well as federal corruption charges leveled against his administration," AP reported.
Monday will mark the 10th consecutive day of widespread street demonstrations against Rossello. Johanna Soto, a Puerto Rico resident, told AP that the protests will continue until the governor steps aside.
"The people are not going to go away," said Soto. "That's what he's hoping for, but we outnumber him."
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